


Holding the Spark

by caneeljoy



Series: Holding the Spark [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: ("happy ending" means that none of our protagonists die), (and Otabek calls Yuri "Yura"), Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Complete, Elemental Magic, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I use Latin words for lots of the Magical terms, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Magic AU, Magic School, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prophetic Dreams, Russian Pet Names, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Swearing, Xenophobia, Yurio has a potty mouth, Yuuri calling Viktor "Vitya", awkward boys, everyone ships it, magic here is referred to as Magic as well as the Spark, the Rings™, undergoing editing!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-09-06 22:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 83,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8771815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caneeljoy/pseuds/caneeljoy
Summary: There are two types of people in this world: the Earthens and the Magical. Those who carry the Spark are called "corrupt" or "diseased," and those of the Earth are unfailingly prejudiced against them.Yuuri Katsuki, raised by Earth parents in an Earthen community, is in for a rude awakening.





	1. Prologue

From infancy, children of the Earth are taught to fear those infused with the Spark. The Spark, thought to originate from the Realm, came to Earth in the earliest years of recorded history. Those touched by the Spark became, as many said, “infected with an incurable disease.”

What parents kept from their children was exactly what this “disease” was. What _happened_ when you held the Spark.

 

Magic. You held Magic, and it held you.

 

Traditionalists dominated the Earth, keeping generation after generation terrified of the abilities of Spark-carriers. Among those of the Earth (the Earthens), those of the Spark were called Diseased, Corrupted. Carriers, if you were in polite company.

Among friends of Magic, they were the Magical.

Among those with the Spark, they were the Enchanted, the Elementalists, the Spark-carriers.

 

Yuuri Katsuki was no different than his friends in that his parents were of the Earth. His school omitted any mention of Magic from their history lessons. No lessons were given on Magical science. Earthen children and Magical children were kept separate at all times.

However, as Yuuri grew older and began to notice Earthen prejudices, his parents took an unconventional, by Earthen standards, approach to the matter.

“Yuuri,” his mother said. “Most of your friends are going to speak badly about the Magical. Most of your teachers, too, and so will most of the strangers you meet.”

“So we understand if you have to do that as well,” said his father. “To keep out of trouble.”

And both of his parents told him the same thing: “There’s no reason to hate those with the Spark. They are no different than us. They're human, too.”

Tender-aged Yuuri accepted their words. He disliked the hatred inherent in the world around him, and was happy his parents, at least, affirmed his thoughts. Despite those thoughts, Yuuri always kept quiet in general… sometimes it wasn't easy, but he held in his true thoughts at school.

However, the time came when Yuuri couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

In the September of the sophomore year of his high school education, Yuuri was involved in what would be called for years later “the freak accident,” labeling the Katsukis as Diseased and alienating them from the Earthen community forever.

 

 


	2. Thursday, September 14th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's trying to stay awake through a Biology lecture when chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten so much love about this fic already! Without further ado or adon't, here's the chapter. (Sorry.)

_September 14th, XXX6 ME_

 

Nothing was quite as boring, Yuuri thought absently, as listening to a Biology lecture.

His notebook was open. A pencil hung from Yuuri’s right hand, and he was looking at the presentation on the board. But Yuuri wasn’t absorbing any of the material — he was zoning out too hard to take notes.

The teacher’s lecture had stopped sounding like words a while ago, and registered as a quiet hum in Yuuri’s ears. His brown eyes were blank, almost glassy, as he daydreamed.

Everything was normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yuuri almost wished some crazy person would burst into the classroom with a knife, or the announcement would come on that war was imminent. Morbid thoughts, sure, but that was the level of boredom he’d reached.

Everything was normal.

 

Yuuri didn’t feel his feet leave the floor. He didn’t notice the desk moving out from under his arms.

He noticed the scream, though.

When Yuuri snapped from his stupor, he registered the noise, first: the room was in an uproar.

“-ly shit, it’s a goddamn Diseased!”

“Jesus Christ, how the hell-”

“-gonna kill us!”

Yuuri registered the lack of floor second. Registered it…

Then his eyes shot wide, losing their glassiness, as he realized he was floating four feet off the ground.

“What the _hell_ is this?!” his Biology teacher bellowed.

The third thing Yuuri registered was the stares of his peers. Everyone was standing, backing away, or simply frozen in place. But they were all staring at him, faces full of…

Disgust. Hatred.

Fear.

 

Yuuri couldn’t move. He tried to focus, maybe to get back on the ground, but his heart was hammering, his hands were sweating, and he floated even higher, bumping his head off the foam tiles lining the ceiling.

He didn’t know who threw the first object, but in a matter of seconds, Yuuri was being bombarded with projectiles. Pencils, balled-up pieces of paper, even a few textbooks. Not everyone could throw hard enough to hit him, but not for lack of trying.

Yuuri couldn't breathe.

 

The sophomore class’ star athlete happened to be in that Biology class.

Brown eyes stared as the athlete picked up a chair, wound up, and hurled it at Yuuri.

 

Yuuri registered the pain, felt himself drop a few feet. He cried out, threw up his hands, and _something happened_. There was a heavy thud, and several people screamed.

“He’s attacking us!” cried a shrill voice. “Get him! Get him!!”

At some point, Yuuri became lost in a haze of pain as objects hit him over and over again. He dropped from the air and onto his desk, knocking everything onto the floor. His glasses, at some point, had fallen off, and everything was blurred.

Familiar faces surrounded him, made ugly with terror and anger.

“Put him out of his misery,” someone suggested.

Irony of all ironies: someone lifted up a Biology textbook. (Yuuri had a strong suspicion it was his.)

The last thing Yuuri saw was that textbook being swung at his face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up soon, and it's really long. Hope you're enjoying the ride :)
> 
> (In case anyone's wondering, the "ME" in italics at the header stands for "Magic Era." It's a term used by the Magical community to describe the time since the Spark came to Earth. Most Earth-dwellers use "CE," but then again... the Katsukis aren't really "most," are they?)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri recovers, and he learns things about his family that he never knew. Also, Earthens are awful.

Yuuri regained consciousness over a disjointed span of time. He heard someone crying, someone speaking in a low voice. The voices were indistinct and muffled.

“You realize what this means,” it said.

Someone sniffed. “I understand. We won’t impose any longer.”

“How is the boy?” someone else said.

“Your son caused a chair to hit him,” the first voice said. “He’s the star player of the football team. We hope he’ll be alright for the next game.”

“Give him our best.”

“No offense intended, Mrs. Katsuki, but I do not believe he wants your best.”

Silence. Then there was a shuffling noise, and wood creaking. Something touched Yuuri’s forehead.

“I think he’s awake.” He recognized the voice of his mother. “Yuuri? Can you hear me?”

Yuuri tried to answer “yes,” but his mouth barely moved. What came out was a soft, anguished sound.

“Oh, Yuuri…”

Hands began to lift him up, and pain shot through his body. He was unconscious again before he could even register the sensation.

 

~

 

Plagued by hazy nightmares, he tossed and turned.

 

The next time Yuuri woke up, it was dark. He breathed in, disoriented, and smelled faint lavender and clean sheets.

“Sweetie, are you awake?” came the voice of his mother.

“I…” Yuuri swallowed, throat protesting, one side of his face throbbing. “What… what happened?”

“You came into your Magic,” she said.

“My… my what…?”

“And you were hit with a chair and a textbook,” his father chimed in from somewhere in the dark.

Yuuri sighed. His head hurt, and his eyes were starting to close... 

“I still can’t believe it, Toshiya,” his mother whispered.

“There was always the possibility, considering my mother’s heritage.”

“I’ve never heard of the Magic skipping generations. Could it be genetic…?”

“There’s a good chance.” His father’s voice was bitter. “Considering the fact that science completely disregards the Spark and no testing has been done on the subject, it might even be probable.”

“Shh, darling, it’s alright.” Rustling. “We should leave him alone. He’s got to heal, sleep off his first outburst… I read the symptoms can persist for-”

Yuuri was slipping back into sleep, but he tried to stay awake. He wanted to listen.

His father spoke again, softly. “It’ll be alright, Hiroko. He’ll be alright. He has to be, for tomorrow.”

“Oh, I hate to do this to him, Toshiya, but… we don’t have a choice anymore…”

“It’s his best option…” Their voices got quieter. “He’ll be alright. He’s tough as they come.”

“Yes, you’re right. It’s just that-”

His bedroom door closed, and Yuuri slept.

 

~

 

Finally, Yuuri shook himself free of the dreams and clawed his way to consciousness. He opened his eyes to see his mother standing over him.

He jumped, hands flying to shield his face.

“Yuuri, it’s only me,” she said, face smiling but eyes impossibly sad.

“M… Mom…” Yuuri took a deep, shaking breath. “S-sorry. I just-”

“Dreams?”

He nodded.

His mother handed him a glass of water. “Hurry and drink. We have a lot to talk about, and not a lot of time.”

Yuuri drained the glass and sat up, slowly. Besides a heavy ache around his abdomen, a stiff pain in his forehead, and a faint headache, he felt alright. He massaged his temples.

“Before… when I woke up…” Yuuri tried to gather his thoughts.

His eyes widened. “Mom… at school… did I…?”

“Nobody was hurt,” she hastened to say, but paused. “Except for the boy who threw the chair at you. It clipped his shoulder when you, ah, pushed it back at him.”

Yuuri buried his face in his hands, wincing when he touched a sore spot.

“Sweetie.” Cool hands settled on his wrists, rubbing gently. “It wasn’t your fault. You did beautifully, Yuuri. Usually, first outbursts are far more… destructive.”

“Outburst?” Yuuri repeated. “Magic? They called me a freak, Mom. I… What am I…?”

“You already know, don't you?” The hands squeezed.

“Am I… a Carrier?”

“An Elementalist,” she corrected him. “Don’t put yourself down.”

“But how…?”

“My mother.”

Yuuri looked up as his father came into the room holding a plate laden with steaming food. He sat down by the bed and put the tray on Yuuri’s lap. “Eat up, and I’ll tell you about her.”

Taking a fork in one hand and a knife in the other, Yuuri dug into the pot roast, and his father started talking.

“Her name was Sorano.” He sighed. “She was… wonderful. A good mother, and a good friend. She was a professor at Apricus for a long time.”

Yuuri swallowed. “Apricus?”

His parents exchanged a look.

“Yuuri, sweetheart…” His mother laid a hand over his. “We need you to listen right now, okay?”

“Um… okay…”

His father gestured to the food. “Finish that. You’ll need it.” He cleared his throat.

“Your grandmother was an Elementalist,” he continued. “A talented one. She was an Aere.”

“What’s an Aere?”

Yuuri winced after the words left his mouth. “Sorry.” Then he winced again, put his utensils down, and gingerly touched his forehead.

“Ah, yes.” His mom reached over and brushed her fingers near his brow, eyebrows drawn together. “You’re getting a nasty bruise there. I’ll get some ice…”

She left, taking his empty plate with her, and his father managed a smile.

“You sure ate fast.”

“Dad…”

“An Aere is an Elementalist who controls the element of air.”

“There are… different types?”

“Of course there are.” He sighed. “I forgot how little they teach you kids about Magic.”

“They don’t teach us _anything_ about Magic, Dad.”

“I know. That’s why I’m teaching you now, so that you’ll know when-”

His mother came back, bustling into the room with ice cubes wrapped in a towel. “Careful, it’s wet.”

Yuuri pressed the damp cloth to his face and turned to his dad. “What other kinds of Elementalists are there?”

“There are the Unda, water Elementalists. And there are the Terra, of the Earth — they are the most common type. And the Ignis, the fire Elementalists, are the rarest.”

“What about the… the ones that are water and air. What about those?”

His father smiled. “The Unda and the Aere, son. They’re equally rare, and about in the middle in terms of power and rarity.”

“Power? So… the fire ones. Are they the most powerful?”

“Ah… power is a relative term.” His father coughed. “It’s a bit of a touchy subject, Yuuri. What I meant to say is, the Terra have the easiest time controlling their powers, while the Ignis have the hardest.”

“So…” Yuuri’s head was spinning. “Which one am I?”

“You wanna take a guess?”

Yuuri turned to see his sister standing in the doorway of his room.

“Mari!” Yuuri almost got up, but his mom put a hand on his shoulder.

“What’s up, little brother?” She walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. “Mom and Dad told me everything. Jealous!”

“Hey, you rubbed your legal drinking rights in my face for most of last year,” Yuuri countered.

“Yeah, but I’m not a freakin’ Enchanted. Dang, you always _were_ the cool one.”

Her tone was joking and light, but Yuuri watched as her eyes traveled from his forehead down to his chest. “Does it hurt much?”

Yuuri looked down and noticed the bandages. “Um, no. I mean, it didn’t until you mentioned it.”

“You brat!” she exclaimed.

“Kidding, kidding!” Yuuri held back a laugh.

“Mari, could you give us a minute?” his father asked.

“Sure, I’ll go help Mom pack your stuff.” Mari got up and headed for the door.

“Pack my stuff?” Yuuri looked at his dad.

“Whoops,” muttered Mari, shutting the door behind herself.

“Dad, what’s going on?”

His dad sighed. “I’d hoped to tell you more about being an Elementalist, but-”

“ _Dad_.”

He sighed again and dragged one hand down his face. “Yuuri… we’re sending you to Apricus.”

Yuuri blinked.

“I know this is sudden,” his dad continued. “But we have friends there, people who knew Sorano. It’s the safest thing for you right now.”

“Safest thing…?”

“Yuuri, I don’t know if you understand the… the gravity of the situation.” His father’s shoulders were slumped. “It’s the only option we have.”

“Only option? You’re going to just… send me away? Send me to some school? You... you haven’t even told me anything about it yet!”

“Son… there have been… threats.”

“What… what kind of…” He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

“People are restless. You know how much Magic scares most Earthens. Your mother, Mari, and I are relocating, moving to another town.”

“And I’m going to Apricus?”

“Yuuri… we can’t provide you with the education you need.” His dad made a helpless gesture. “We’re not Spark-carriers. We don’t have Magic. We can’t help you learn to control your abilities.”

“But…” Yuuri’s eyes were brimming with tears. “That means I… won’t see you and Mom…”

“It’s not for forever” was all his father could offer. “Only for the rest of high school. Apricus is the best Magic school we know of, and we know people there. When you graduate, you can join a Magical career and live in a Magical community, or you can get a permit and come back to the Earthen sects...”

“Do I… do I even get a choice?”

His father gave a tight shake of his head. “Even if you did, Yuuri, your mother and I would want you to go. It’s… it’s the safest thing.”

“For me? Or for you?”

His dad’s eyes widened at Yuuri’s hostile tone. “Yuuri-”

“I… I know. I know, Dad… I get it.” Yuuri bowed his head, and his voice was shaky. “I’m sorry. I... I understand...”

The door to his bedroom opened, and Yuuri peeked through his hair to see who it was.

“It’s late,” his mother said, voice soft. “We should let him sleep.”

“It'll be an early morning tomorrow, son.” His father patted Yuuri’s shoulder. “We’ll wake you when it’s time to go. Goodnight.”

“Night, Dad. Night, Mom.”

Yuuri turned over and stared out the window. Everything blurred, and tears soaked his pillow.

 

A short while later, there was a knock at his door.

“Who is it?” he called, trying to mask his stuffy nose.

“It’s Mari. Can I come in?”

Yuuri didn’t answer, but Mari came in anyways.

“Hey.” She sat at the edge of his bed again.

"Hey."

“So, it’s true? You’re really going to this Magic school?”

“Yeah,” said Yuuri. “I… guess I don’t really have a choice.”

“I don’t think you want one.” Mari lowered her voice, glancing at the closed door. “Look, I probably shouldn’t be telling you, but the only reason we’re here right now is because Mom and Dad were afraid to move you.”

“What? ...Why?”

“They spouted a bunch of crap about a bunch of stuff, like ‘outbursts’ and ‘side effects’ and whatever.” She waved a hand. “Anyways, they didn’t want you to get hurt any more than you already are, otherwise we’d have gone somewhere else. There’ve been crazy people calling, sending letters, chucking stuff on the lawn…”

“R…” Yuuri gulped. “Really…?”

“Yeah.” Mari sighed. “Death threats, pentagrams, a couple envelopes of razor blades. It’s awful. A bunch of kids from your school came by and threw their textbooks-”

Yuuri sat up and swung his feet over the side of the bed.

“Wait, stop!” Mari grabbed for his arm, but Yuuri was faster. He staggered to the window and, leaning against the frame, looked down on the yard with dread churning in his gut.

The remains of his backpack were scattered across the grass, and ripped pages from Yuuri’s binders were strewn everywhere. Yuuri’s favorite novel and sketchbook were ripped to pieces. And, right by the sidewalk, laid a Biology book, pages flapping open and blood staining the cover.

Yuuri burst into tears.

 

It took quite a bit of coaxing from Mari, but finally Yuuri allowed himself to be led to bed. He surprised himself by falling asleep quickly, before the salt on his cheeks was dry.

 

 


	4. Tuesday, September 19th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri travels to Apricus, and just when he thinks his mind can't be blown any further... well. It's blown further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited!! (I was used to writing Yuuri's dialogue in RoL and made him stutter too much, so I fixed that.)

Someone shook his shoulder. Yuuri made a pathetic sound, and somebody laughed. (Probably Mari.)

The next thing Yuuri knew, he was in the backseat of a car, wrapped in his mom's comforter. Aside from the glow of the dashboard, it was pitch black. His dad was driving, his mom was in the passenger’s seat with a map on her lap, and Mari was slouched next to Yuuri, tapping at her phone.

Yuuri closed his eyes again.

 

When he reopened them, sun was shining through the windows. He sat up, grimacing as his neck twinged. “Where are we?”

His mother glanced over her shoulder. "We're almost there."

“Get enough beauty sleep?” asked Mari.

“Mm, I don’t know…” Yuuri grinned. “Am I beautiful yet?”

“Go back to sleep,” she said.

Their parents laughed, and Yuuri shoved her shoulder.

“Good to have you back, Yuuri.” His father’s tone was wistful. “Even if it’s only for a few more minutes.”

Everyone went quiet. Yuuri bit his lip.

Mari rolled her eyes. “Way to kill the mood, Dad.”

Their mom sighed. "Yuuri, do you want some water?”

“Yes, please.” Yuuri’s throat ached.

Mari read a few long-winded riddles off her phone, and before Yuuri knew it, they were pulling into a small parking lot.

“We’re here.” Yuuri’s father stopped the car and unlocked the doors. “Let's head up."

"Up where?"

"You'll see."

Yuuri wormed out of the blanket and opened the car door.

“I packed everything you need,” his mother said, pulling a suitcase and a backpack out of the trunk.

 _"We_  packed everything.” Mari held out Yuuri’s glasses. “Here.”

"Thanks." When he slipped them on, everything came into focus. The sun was bright. Yuuri’s headache faded from a sharp pain to a dull, steady throb.

“I can carry that, Mom,” Yuuri said, trying to take his suitcase from her.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” His father put a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “You’re still recovering.”

“I'm fine,” Yuuri said.

“Trust me.” Yuuri’s shoulder was squeezed gently. “You’ll need your energy.”

“I bet,” he mumbled, stomach sinking.

He trailed behind his family as they walked up a flight of creaky wooden steps. Yuuri wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.

The steps led to a small platform, which was empty, save a few benches. A set of tracks ran past... suspended in the air.

"Why are they-" Yuuri stopped himself. "Magic. Right?"

"Probably," said Mari, adjusting her headband as her hair whipped in the wind. “So. What now?”

“We wait,” said their mother, glancing at her watch. “She said she'd be here at ten o’clock.”

“Who’s 'she?'” Yuuri asked. 

His parents exchanged a glance.

“That’s not an answer,” said Yuuri, staring to get irritated.

“Hey, look!” Mari nudged Yuuri’s shoulder.

“What?”

She pointed down the tracks, and when Yuuri looked, his mouth dropped open.

“That’s… not a train” was all he could think to say.

“No, it’s not,” his mother said, handing him his backpack.

The object whizzed towards them, and stopped short in front of Yuuri. Despite his shock, Yuuri noted how the thing was his height, and close to ten feet wide. It was also rounded, with several small windows lining the edges.

An opening appeared in one side, and a tall woman popped out, stepping onto the platform. In the span of a second, she looked at him, and astonishment registered on her face. Then, her expression smoothed out, a smile replacing the shock.

“Hi!” she trilled, sticking out one hand. “You’re Yuuri, right?”

He took her hand and shook it, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah..."

“I’m Odyssia!” She smiled. “So, are you ready to go?”

Yuuri looked over his shoulder, unsure. His mother, father, and sister were looking at him with the same sad smiles on their faces.

He whirled around and threw open his arms, pulling everyone in for a huge hug.

“We’ll see you soon, son,” his father said.

“Yeah, probably at Christmas or something,” Mari said. “Ugh, I wish I could go too! You're so lucky.”

"Sorry," Yuuri said, trying not to cry and smile at the same time.

“Don’t cry,” his mother said softly. “This isn’t goodbye. We’ll write to you.”

“Yeah,” he managed.

Odyssia picked up Yuuri’s suitcase. “Good to go?” she asked.

Yuuri looked back one more time.

“Oh, get a move on, you dork.” Mari grinned. “You’d better freakin’ keep in touch.”

“I will.”

“And come home and teach me about Magic!”

“Okay.”

“And no crying.”

Yuuri sniffed, smiled, and swiped at his eyes. “No promises.”

He ducked into the oval, and Odyssia followed him. “Don't worry!” she called to his family. “I’ll let you know when we arrive!”

“Goodbye!” his mother and father chorused.

“See you s-”

Mari's voice cut off when the door sealed.

Odyssia smiled at Yuuri. “You can wave through the window, I bet.”

Yuuri pressed his face to one of the small windows, and caught a glimpse of his family as the object sped down the rails... In a second, they were out of sight.

“I didn’t even feel us move,” Yuuri said quietly, sitting down on one of the benches.

“I know this must be a lot to take in.” Odyssia’s voice was sympathetic.

“Um, yeah, I guess.”

“Would you rather I talk, or not?”

“You can talk if you want,” Yuuri said, looking at the floor as he took off his backpack.

“Well, we’re on the West pathway to Apricus,” said Odyssia. “It’s one of the least traveled routes, but the tracks are well-maintained.”

“What is…” Yuuri gestured vaguely. “This… thing?”

“Oh, this? We call it a Sphaera,” she said. “It’s the most common method of travel for Elementalists. We use tracks to conserve energy, but a Sphaera can actually fly on its own.”

“Sphaera..." Yuuri tried out the unfamiliar word. “Huh. What powers it?”

“Magic,” Odyssia said. “I’m powering it right now, actually, but they can run on stored power, too.”

“You’re powering it? How?”

She raised her right hand. “See these straps?”

Yuuri looked and saw two shiny, silver straps attached to each bench. Odyssia’s left hand was wrapped around one. As Yuuri watched, she took hold of the other. Barely any light came through the windows, so Yuuri could see the faint green glow surrounding her.

“W…” Yuuri’s eyes must have looked miles wide. “Wow…”

“I’m a Terra, in case you couldn’t tell.” She laughed, then pursed her lips. “You know what a Terra is, right?”

“Yeah, my dad explained it… kind of.”

Odyssia chucked. “You’ll get used to all this, I promise. Anyways, basically, the fabric of the straps is connected to the Sphaera’s centre-”

She stopped when Yuuri’s eyebrows quirked. “The centre is like… hmm, I guess it’s like the motor of a car. It’s for storing and using energy. The whole exchange process is confusing, but you’ll learn more about it in your lessons. We’ll get you a copy of the Uncensored before tonight.”

“Uncensored…?”

“Sorry, I keep forgetting.” Odyssia half-grinned, half-grimaced. “It’s our basic encyclopedia, the only edition that hasn’t censored information about the Spark and such. There aren’t many copies in Earthen areas.”

“Oh.”

Yuuri was at a loss. His head was starting to hurt again.

“So, how long ago was your first outburst?”

“Huh?”

“Your mom gave me the rundown during her call,” said Odyssia. “Heard you almost killed someone!”

Yuuri felt all the blood drain from his face.

“Woah, woah, hey!” Odyssia let go of the straps and jumped to her feet. “Sorry, I shouldn't mess around like-  I mean, your mom said you hit his shoulder, but it wasn’t that big of a deal- Are... you okay?”

“I’m fine..." Yuuri exhaled, heart starting to beat again. "You scared me."

Odyssia sat back down and grabbed the straps. “Sorry. I forgot your first wasn’t long ago. How did it happen? If you don't mind-”

"It's fine." Yuuri wracked his brain. “Uhm… honestly, all I remember is… I started floating in the middle of a lecture, and, well... Everyone flipped out.”

Odyssia looked like she was trying to hold back a smile. Yuuri smiled back, shakily.

“I guess it was kinda funny.” He sighed and rested his chin in his hand. “Then, all my classmates started… throwing stuff at me. Yelling… stuff. You know.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I know.”

Yuuri shrugged. “This kid, I forget his name… Albert? Adam? He threw the chair at me, it hit me, and I…”

Odyssia leaned forward. “What happened? Your mom didn’t say.”

“I… actually, I don’t really know. I did _something_ , and the chair flew back at him.”

“Huh,” she said. “Sounds like you created a forcefield. Or got scared and lashed out with a concentrated push of air.”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“Nobody means to, during their first.” Odyssia closed her eyes for a moment, and the green glow around her hands intensified. “Outbursts are always random and scary. At least you’re an Aere. A public outburst by, say, an Ignis, might have been more... destructive.”

“Dad said something about that.” Yuuri recalled some of their conversation. “Ignis… have the hardest time controlling their, um, their Magic?”

“Yeah.” Odyssia’s eyes were open again, but distant-looking. “You’ll meet a couple, but the Ignis usually keep to themselves.”

“But… don’t we all go to school together?”

Odyssia smiled. “There are two main parts of Apricus. There’s the Southern Wing, which is built into… well. You’ll see soon. Anyway, that’s where the Terra and Ignis live and work, but we’re pretty much divided in half.”

“What about the Aere and… the Unda?”

“You guys get the Northern Wing.” The corners of her mouth quirked up. “The Unda and Aere work closer together, since the water and air are more compatible and less likely to make a mess. Likewise, that’s why the Terra and Ignis work together — Terra are good at control, so= we help out if things get out of hand.”

“Oh.”

“So.” Odyssia’s voice was gentle. “I asked you before how long ago your first outburst was. Do you know?”

Yuuri scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t, actually."

“I figured.” Her expression turned rueful. “I can tell you, if you want.”

Yuuri shrugged. “Sure.”

“When your mom called me two days ago, it had been three days since you’d fallen unconscious.”

“Wh…” Yuuri shivered. “What? I was, it was… that long?”

“That’s totally normal for your first,” Odyssia said. “In fact, it can take two or three weeks to fully recover.”

“And it’s barely been a week?” Yuuri groaned. “How am I supposed to keep up with my studies...?”

Odyssia stared at him, mouth agape, then started laughing. “Yuuri, you sweet, sweet child! Don’t worry about that — I’m more worried you’ll keel over from information overload!”

Yuuri flushed. “Sorry. Guess my priorities aren’t really in order.”

“It’s good that you want to succeed, though.” Odyssia closed her eyes again, and Yuuri, fascinated, as her hands glowed brighter. “We’re almost there. Are you ready?”

“I guess…” Yuuri’s chest tightened. He stood up and went over to one window. “That was fast.”

All he could see was white. Snow?

“How far did we travel?” Yuuri couldn’t keep the wonder from his voice.

“Oh, quite a ways,” she said. “We’re almost there — sit down, please.”

As soon as Yuuri sat, the Sphaera jerked to a stop.

Odyssia unwound her hands from the straps and picked up his suitcase. “Ready to go?”

“I can get that-”

“It’s not far to the next Sphaera,” Odyssia said, "I got it. It’s cold, so we should run! Ready?”

"Yeah-"

The door opened, and snow began to fly into Yuuri’s face.

“Stay close!” she yelled, and pushed forward.

Outside the Sphaera, the wind whipped straight through Yuuri’s jacket. Immediately, his glasses were caked with snow. Yuuri took them off and, shielding his face with one arm, stumbled after Odyssia.

He crashed into her back when she stopped. She shouted something that Yuuri couldn’t hear over the howling wind.

All of a sudden, another Sphaera came whistling through the air. Yuuri jumped, almost knocking himself over. This Sphaera was an actual sphere and was almost completely see-throug. The inside had no benches, only straps hanging from the ceiling.

Like before, a door swung open from invisible hinges. Odyssia tossed Yuuri’s suitcase inside and ushered him in after it. The opening sealed shut behind them.

“Whew!” She shook her head, and splattered Yuuri with snow. “At least we’re not having a storm.”

“That wasn’t a storm…?”

“Oh, no, it gets _way_ worse than that!”

Yuuri looked out the side of the Sphaera. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass and froze.

“O… Odyssia,” he stammered, hands flying to his face. “How… how did I…?”

“Geez, you didn't look in a mirror since…?”

“No, I was… asleep,” Yuuri said, staring wide-eyed at the bruise covering the upper left side of his face.

“Your mom told me one of your classmates did it.” Odyssia’s voice was quiet. “Sorry, I thought you knew.”

“I mean, it kind of hurts, but…” The left side of his forehead and brow were splashed purple and blue, and bruises dusted his left cheekbone. Looking closer, he noticed a cut running across his temple, but it was thin and hidden by his hair.

“It’ll heal!” Odyssia’s voice was cheerful again. “Trust me, it’s no big deal. Everyone’ll get a kick out of it.” She took hold of the silver straps, and Yuuri’s stomach plummeted as the Sphaera lifted off the ground.

“If you’re an Earth type, then why can you fly this thing?” Yuuri asked, voice shaking slightly. He looked through the glass and watched the ground getting further and further away. He closed his eyes for a minute, feeling a bit faint.

“Sphaera don't work using only air Magic,” Odyssia explained. “It can harness any of the four types. But Aere have the easiest time using it, because air is their home turf.”

“Oh..."

Odyssia laughed. “Hold on to those straps, Yuuri-”

“I am,” he managed.

“-because we’re about to speed up! We’re almost there!” Odyssia glanced back at him. "I’ll go easy on you, since you’re not used to the Magic yet. No big drops?"

“Yes, please…”

In a rush, they shot through the low-hanging clouds and into open air. The Sphaera was filled with light.

 

Odyssia giggled at the awestruck look on Yuuri’s face. “Impressive, isn’t it?”

“Understatement,” Yuuri breathed.

 

Beneath them was a shifting blanket of grey-and-white clouds, and in front of them, a mountain range. Most of the mountains were small and rounded, but one stood much taller than the rest. The tallest mountain had what looked like intricate designs carved into the sides, and hundreds of small bits of light. Yuuri squinted, and saw some of the bits of light were vaguely square-shaped. And some of the designs looked like walkways. People were walking back and forth across the thin walkways, surrounded by sporadic bursts of multicolored light.

But wasn’t even the craziest part.

Right out of the peak of the mountain stretched two long, slim rods. The rods went up, up-

And connected to an immense island floating in the air.

 

Yuuri was speechless.

 

“The Southern Wing is the mountain,” Odyssia said. “And now you see what I meant about you Aere being lucky.”

“The Northern Wing… is that… um. What is that?”

“It’s a floating island, I guess,” she said. “We don’t have a name for it. It’s unique.”

Yuuri tried to make out the details of the island, but it was too far away. He craned his head back to look and saw it was flat on the top and curved on the bottom, and also had hundreds of windows set into the sides.

“So this is Apricus?”

Odyssia smiled. “Yes, it is. You like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” said Yuuri. And it was — everything was lit up, the mountains were capped with snow, and the whole scene was breathtakingly complex and confusing… but somehow, something like hope started to blossom in Yuuri's chest. For the first time since he’d set foot in the first Sphaera, a weight lifted.

The Sphaera flew closer to the mountain, and Yuuri turned to Odyssia, about to ask her about the walkways. He stopped when he saw her eyes close, and her hands glowing deep green. She looked deep in concentration. He kept quiet.

A hole opened in the side of the mountain nearest to them. Odyssia opened her eyes and, eyebrows furrowed, guided the Sphaera through.

Inside, a dark room opened up around them. Yuuri blinked. He could barely see anything.

They jolted, then Odyssia’s glow disappeared. Yuuri’s eyes started to adjust, and he watched Odyssia stretch her arms, then bend down to touch her toes.

“Whew!” She straightened. “That was a workout. Okay, Yuuri, ready to meet everyone?”

“Sure!” A shiver shot down Yuuri’s spine, but he couldn't tell if it was from excitement or nervousness. 

“Now, there a couple things I should tell you first.” She lifted one finger. “Everyone’s really excited, because second-gen Elementalists are pretty rare. Don’t let anyone intimidate you, okay?”

Yuuri nodded.

“Second,” she said, raising another finger, “Be polite, even if you’re nervous. First impressions are important.”

“You sound like my mom,” Yuuri said.

“That’s my job! No, literally, I get paid to pick up new students.” She grinned and raised a third finger. “Third, if you start to feel overwhelmed, tell the headmaster. I’ve gotta go, but the headmaster’ll stick around and make sure everything’s okay.”

“Why would I feel overwhelmed?”

Odyssia lifted Yuuri’s suitcase. “You had your first outburst less than a week ago, and you’re still recovering. Exposure to too much Magic can be harmful to your health right now.”

“Huh?”

“Symptoms can last for a couple weeks,” she said. “Be careful, is all.” She opened up the side of the Sphaera. “Ready?”

“I guess,” Yuuri said, following her out.

Immediately, several people mobbed them.

“Odyssia! You’re back!”

“Is this the new kid?”

“Hi! What's your name? I’m-”

“Hold your horses, guys!” Odyssia said. “Hold your horses! Give the guy some space!”

The crowd of kids backed up a few inches, and Yuuri saw that most of them looked young, between twelve and fourteen. All of them had shining eyes, and were wearing the same pale yellow scarves.

Odyssia guided Yuuri past them, towards the other side of the room. The ceiling was at least a hundred feet up, but the room itself was small and lined with doors.

Yuuri wasn’t paying attention, and almost walked directly into someone. Odyssia grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Headmaster Atlas,” she said. “This is Yuuri Katsuki.”

“Good to finally meet you, young man.”

The man was about a foot taller than Yuuri, maybe more. He was wearing deep blue robes, the kind you’d expect to see on a fairy-tale wizard. But he was young: his hair was deep black and short, with two strands hanging in front of his ears. His eyes were deep brown and kind. An air of timeless youth hung around him; Yuuri guessed he was between thirty and thirty-five.

“Nice to meet you, too, um…” Yuuri said, somehow managing not to stutter, and extended his hand.

“You can call me Headmaster, or simply Atlas. Everyone does.” Atlas eyed Yuuri’s half-handshake. “Ah, let’s not.” The headmaster’s hands stayed tucked into invisible pockets. “You are not aware of Magical handshakes?”

“Uhm, I don't think so…”

“Magic is exchanged upon touch,” Headmaster Atlas explained. “Handshakes involve interaction of two Magics — it’s a form of greeting. Since you can’t control your Magic yet, and it hasn’t been long since your first outburst…”

“I understand,” Yuuri said, looking at his feet.

“I’m sure you’re tired.” Atlas turned to the eager group of children. “Yuuri is going to his room now. Who would like to accompany him to the Sphaer-up?”

“Me! Me! Me!” The crowd started jumping and shouting as one animal.

“Do you mind?” Odyssia asked Yuuri. “They’re so excited, and we don't get new students in the middle of the year…”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine.” Yuuri shifted his backpack. His head felt fuzzy, and his legs were aching… He hoped he was allowed to take a nap when he got to his room.

Headmaster Atlas opened one of the doors, and torchlight shone through it. Odyssia waved at Yuuri and went through another door. Yuuri followed the headmaster, and the swarm of underclassmen followed them.

The hallway was dark and cramped, but quickly opened into a wider room. Yuuri gazed around at the beautiful, sparkling fixtures on the ceilings. Other teens — students, Yuuri guessed — were milling around. Most turned to stare at him.

Then, Yuuri’s eyes landed on a boy. He was standing with two other students, a younger boy with shoulder-length blonde hair, and an older girl with red hair tied back in a braid. It looked like they'd been talking, but when Yuuri walked in, the whole place went quiet.

The boy turned. His hair was silver, and it reflected the golden light of the hall. His eyes looked as fragile and blue as the wings of a butterfly. (Yuuri, in his right mind, would have cursed himself for dreaming up such a cliché.)

When the boy rushed forward with the rest of his curious peers, leaving his friends behind, Yuuri's heart skipped a beat. Lots of people were talking at him, asking questions. Headmaster Atlas stood nearby, waving them off, but Yuuri could look only at this boy. Something about him… his eyes, his smile, whatever… Something about him made it impossible for Yuuri to look away.

“Hi,” the boy said, sticking out his hand. “You’re Yuuri, right?”

Without thinking, Yuuri took his hand. “Um, yes-”

A thrill shot through Yuuri’s body. The Headmaster’s words about handshakes and Magic raced through his head. Looking down at his hand entwined with the boy’s, Yuuri saw a faint blue-silver glow glimmering in the air around their fingers.

Yuuri felt like he'd been dropped into a freezing river; he couldn't breathe, and he felt terribly cold. He looked back to the boy, vision whiting out.

The boy’s eyes shot wide as Yuuri’s rolled back in his head, and he fainted.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Viktor meet *officially,* and Yuuri gets to see the Northern Wing for the first time.

“Viktor, you  _moron_ ,” someone snapped.

“I didn’t know! I forgot! Is he okay?”

Yuuri’s mind was muddled, and he couldn’t seem to move his body.

“Back up, everyone, give him some space.” Two fingers touched Yuuri’s throat for a moment. “He’ll be fine. I’m sure he simply needs to rest.” And, louder: “Everyone, resume your activities!”

“I’m really sorry,” someone mumbled. The voice had a subtle accent, something in the vowels that sounded like slow-moving water. 

“Like you said, you didn’t know. At least your Magics were compatible. If not…”

“Is there anything I can do, Headmaster?”

“Apologize, when he wakes up.” The headmaster sighed. “We shouldn’t take the Sphaer-up yet; he could have another reaction… Viktor, was it?”

“Yes…?”

“You’re an Unda?”

“I am.”

“This shouldn't be serious, then. We’ll take him to the nurse’s quarters.”

A weightless sensation overtook Yuuri’s body, and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

 

~

 

Yuuri’s eyelashes fluttered, and something touched his shoulder.

“Welcome back, Mr. Katsuki.”

He shifted his head, and a small room came into focus. He was stretched out on a cot. A short woman wearing a lab coat and a stethoscope was seated in a chair to his left, and a few feet behind her was-

“You’re… You’re the boy from before,” blurted Yuuri, stomach jumping. “Viktor, right-?”

“I’m so sorry!” Viktor hurried forward, arms outstretched, but the short woman stopped him in his tracks.

“Mr. Nikiforov, contain yourself.” She sniffed. “Mr. Katsuki has been exposed to enough Magic for one day, I think.”

“Sorry,” Viktor said, stepping back.

Yuuri sat up halfway, leaning on one arm. “It’s fine. I forgot as well… I was being stupid.”

“That’s enough out of you,” the nurse said, pushing Yuuri back down onto the cot. “I’ll get you some orange juice, and then you can go up to your room. Bed rest for you. The tour of Apricus can wait another day.”

“But-”

Viktor made a slicing motion across his neck with one finger.

“That’s an _order_ , young man.”

Yuuri decided to take Viktor’s advice, and gave in. “Okay.”

“I’m allowed to go with him, right?” Viktor asked.

“Oh, you don’t have to-” Yuuri started, but Viktor cut him off.

“I want to!”

“That’s fine, but no handshakes or prolonged physical contact,” the nurse said, standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

She left the room, and Yuuri laid back on the thin mattress.

“So, you’re a second-gen?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri turned his head to look at him. “You mean that my parents aren’t Magical?”

Viktor nodded.

“I… I guess…”

“Second-gens are pretty rare,” Viktor said. “So you grew up around Earthens?”

“Yeah. Went to school with ‘em, lived with ‘em.” Yuuri tried to keep his tone light.

“Makes sense that you’d be sensitive to Magic, then…” Viktor bit his lip. “I really am sorry, you know. I was excited to meet you, since I heard from Headmaster Atlas…”

“Heard what?” Yuuri asked, striving to sound casual.

“That you’re a second-gen. That you come from an Earthen area.” Viktor paused, his light eyebrows drawing together, and looked at the floor as he continued. “That you had your first outburst in school.”

Yuuri sighed, a shiver running down his spine at the memory. Unconsciously, his hand lifted to the left side of his face. “Oh. That.”

Viktor looked at him for a moment, then his smile was suddenly back. “I figured you could use some friends! Plus, we’re hallmates, and we might have some classes together!”

“But aren’t you… older than I am?” Yuuri paused. “No offense, I just assumed that you were a few years my senior…”

“I’m hurt, Yuuri,” Viktor said, pouting.

“I’m s-!”

“Don’t be like that, I was only teasing.” Viktor half-smiled. “Headmaster Atlas also mentioned to me that we’d be in a few of the same core classes, since you’re taking advanced subjects.”

“Oh… right.” Yuuri rolled over to face Viktor. “When do I get my schedule? We… we do get schedules, right…?”

“Of course we do,” Viktor said. “It’s probably in your room.”

The nurse came back into the room with a cup in her hand. She pushed the glass into Yuuri’s hands and turned to her desk, pulling on a pair of grey gloves. “Drink, and then I might let you get up and around.”

Yuuri took a sip of orange juice and looked at Viktor over the nurse’s shoulder. Viktor winked at him. He flushed, averted his eyes, and drained the cup.

“Take your time.” The nurse’s tone was forceful, but her grip was gentle as she helped Yuuri sit up, then, putting both hands on his upper arms, guided him to his feet.

He swayed for a moment, vision blurring, then regained his balance.

“How do you feel?” she asked. “Are you dizzy?”

“No," he lied, trying to find his center of gravity. "I'm okay."

The nurse turned to Viktor. “Support him if you have to, but try not to touch his bare skin. It’s not far from here to the Sphaer-up. If he faints, bring him back here right away.”

“Thank you for your help,” Viktor said. “Yuuri, you’re alright to walk?”

“I’m fine.” Yuuri was feeling much steadier already. “Thank you,” he said to the nurse.

“Anytime,” she said. “Rest well tonight, and you’ll be ready to tour Apricus in the morning.”

Yuuri followed Viktor from the room, and they ended up in a short hallway. Viktor set off, and Yuuri followed him, looking from side to side at the windows lining the hall. On his left, the windows were smaller, and through them Yuuri could see bits of several classrooms. To the right, the windows were larger and showed a wide view of snow-capped mountains.

“Keep up!” Viktor called, and Yuuri hurried after him.

“Where is everyone?” Yuuri asked.

“It’s almost four, so most people are still in class,” Viktor explained.

“Isn't it kind of late?”

“We start later in the day,” Viktor said. “Everyone agrees that it’s easier that way.”

Soon they arrived at their destination: a large, circular door with odd panels on either side of it.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the Sphaer-up,” said Viktor, as if that explained everything.

Yuuri gave him a blank look.

“It’s a Sphaera on tracks straight up to the Northern Wing.”

“Oh!” Yuuri remembered the view from the Sphaera with Odyssia. “Was that what I saw on the way here, those two poles attached to the island?”

“Yep!”

Viktor pressed his hand to one of the panels next to the circular door, and Yuuri watched, fascinated, as his hand glowed faintly blue. The doors opened, and Viktor stepped back, sweeping his arm out. “Ladies first.”

“Is that an insult?” Yuuri asked, but he stepped through the doors.

“Not at all.” Viktor followed him, and the doors slid shut. “Here, you sit, and I’ll power.”

Yuuri sat down, and Viktor reached up to a pair of silver straps attached to the ceiling. As Yuuri looked around, he realized that they were in a larger version of the last Sphaera he had been in.

“Is this the Sphaer-up?”

“It’s a regular Sphaera, but we nicknamed this one because it only goes in one direction.” Viktor’s hands glowed blue again, and the Sphaera shot up.

“Do you call it the Sphaer-down when you’re going the other way?” 

Viktor’s eyes twinkled. “No.”

Yuuri took in the sight of the mountain growing smaller beneath them, eyes wide with wonder.

“Wow…” he breathed.

Viktor smiled.

  

Yuuri’s room was small, but cozy, and lined with beautiful furniture. A bed covered with a blue comforter with silver trim took up most of the left wall. Against the right wall sat an intricately carved wardrobe, a desk, and a comfortable-looking chair.

“This is your room!” Viktor said. “Everyone has the same sort of space, but with different blankets and types of wood and that sort of thing.”

The view out the window was incredible as well. Yuuri tore his eyes away from it to look at Viktor, and beamed. “Thank you!”

“What for?” Viktor smiled and continued before Yuuri could answer his question (which was a good thing, considering Yuuri didn’t have a good answer). “I’m sure your suitcase will be up soon. I’m right down the hall, in room 213. Come to me if you have any concerns!”

A heavy silence settled when Viktor left.

Yuuri sighed, and suddenly bone-tired. He sat down on his bed and looked out the window, where the sun was setting behind a distant mountain range, bathing the grey-and-white landscape in shades of orange and gold.

Everything felt utterly surreal. Yuuri was on a floating island… at a school for Magical teenagers… he _was_ one of those Magical teenagers…

A light headache had set in behind his eyes, and Yuuri winced when he registered it. There was a folder on his desk with a silver crest on the cover, which was probably important… but at the moment, all Yuuri wanted to do was sleep.

 _I’ll miss dinner, right?_ he thought absently as he flopped onto his side. _Oh well…_

 

“Viktor? Where’s the new kid?”

“Yuuri?” Viktor knocked lightly on Yuuri’s door.

He laid his palm against the wood, and the door opened a crack. Viktor peeked in and saw Yuuri curled up on top of his blankets, fast asleep.

Viktor repressed a smile. “He’s asleep.”

“We can get him a sandwich or something, leave it on his desk,” Phichit suggested.

“Fine, sounds good.” Mila huffed. “Can we go? I had donation at noon and I’m starving.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Viktor shut Yuuri’s door as quietly as he could and followed his friends down the hall. He would’ve liked to linger a little longer, maybe cover Yuuri with a blanket… Another time, perhaps.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! 
> 
> As of now, this story is off hiatus!! Rhythm of Love is finished and I'm happy with the end product! I'm focusing on small edits over the last few chapters, and hopefully chapter six will be out by or before Sunday. Thanks for reading my story!!
> 
> Note: for anyone that's interested, I managed to save a version of the Apricus crest that I made online to Pinterest. Here's the link! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/462111611749847659/ It's rough, and I planned to have a sort of star pattern in the back, but I made it quickly and wanted to attach it!!


	6. Wednesday, September 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tour Pt. 1 - Yuuri learns a lot about Apricus and how Magic works.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so late!!  
> Note: temperatures here are in degrees Celsius, because America is literally one of the only countries that doesn't use it. If you're interested just look up a conversion calculator!!

The first thing Yuuri registered was the intense light burning his eyelids. He squinted and reached up to cover his eyes, and ended up smacking his glasses off in the process.

“Ugh!” he groaned as they clattered to the floor.

“Yuuri?”

Viktor opened the door just in time for Yuuri fall off his bed.

“Yuuri! Are you okay?”

Yuuri looked up, squinting. Viktor looked like a vaguely attractive blob, which wasn’t that intimidating… Then, Yuuri took his glasses from Viktor’s hand and noticed how close they were.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, reddening. “Just stupid.”

“You were just disoriented.” Viktor stood up and offered Yuuri his hand. Yuuri eyed it for a second before taking it and allowing Viktor to pull him to his feet.

They stood there for a minute. Viktor was looking at him expectantly.

“Uh… thank you?” Yuuri offered, fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt.

“No problem!” he said, and, in the same breath: “By the way, I got out of classes today to give you a tour.”

“What? But… isn’t that Odyssia’s job?”

“She had to get another student today, someone from a really distant Magical community, so I talked Headmaster Atlas into letting me do a student-led tour!”

“Oh…”

“Are you upset…? Am I… being too pushy?”

Yuuri looked up, eyes widening, to see Viktor looking at him with anxiety in his eyes.

“N-no, it’s f-fine!” Yuuri blurted. “I m-mean…”

He had to pinch his arm to shut himself up. (What was with the stupid stutter? That had never happened before.)

“It’s fine. I, um… I didn’t expect it, but it’s fine.” Yuuri managed a smile, heart ready to beat out of his chest. “Thanks for taking time out of your day for me.”

“Okay, then get ready and meet me outside my room in twenty minutes!” Viktor turned, but looked over his shoulder and smiled at Yuuri. “You brought clothes, right?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Yes. Yes, I did.”

“The school gives you stuff if you have nothing to wear, but if you’ve got clothes already, then it’s no problem. Oh, and bring your coat with you — we’re going up top.”

“Up what?”

“You’ll see!” Viktor opened the door. “Oh, and Minami insisted that we leave you some breakfast, so that’s on your desk. We brought up a sandwich last night, but Georgi ate it.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure what to do with that information, but it turned out not to matter, because Viktor was gone before he could open his mouth.

He threw open his closet, fuming at himself, and found the space inside was mostly empty. A heavy black coat was hanging beside a soft black cloak, and a familiar design was printed in silver on the back of both. A black button-down shirt and a set of black pants was folded neatly on a built-in shelf, and two sets of dark gloves hung nearby.

He knew he shouldn’t dawdle, but Yuuri opened his suitcase and hung up most of his clothing in the closet. He did it as quickly as possible, but his hands were shaking and his face was red.

He put on a fresh pair of jeans and pulled a navy sweater over his head, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Finally, he felt composed, and grabbed the coat from the closet and the wrap on his desk before heading into the hall.

Room 213 wasn't far down the hall to Yuuri’s left, and he leaned up against the wall next to the doorway, trying not to squirm. He peeled the aluminum foil away from the “breakfast” Viktor had mentioned, and found an egg-and-cheese wrap inside. (It was still warm, and it was delicious.)

Viktor emerged five minutes late. “Right on time, Yuuri!”

Yuuri didn’t have the heart to tell him he was wearing a watch.

“Good choice,” Viktor said, gesturing to Yuuri’s coat. “The cloaks are for warmer weather.”

“There’s warmer weather here?”

“Warmer, as in six or seven degrees.” Viktor chuckled. “It gets close to twenty in July and August, but then it’s back to normal in time for school. Come on, let’s get going!”

Yuuri followed him down the hall. “What’s a normal temperature?”

“Mm, anywhere between zero and negative forty.”

“Wow!”

“It gets pretty cold here,” Viktor said. “We’re lucky to have such a good heating system!”

“Um… so… how does everything work?”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Y’know.” Yuuri waved his arms. “Electricity, running water, heating…”

“Oh! Most of that comes from donation. I’ll show you the port room later on. Plus, it’s near the beginning of the year, and the first unit of Magical Science deals with the functions of Apricus.” Viktor paused. “I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly.”

(Yuuri wasn’t so sure.)

“Okay, so you already know about the dorms and stuff,” Viktor said. “There are eight floors, but they aren’t sectioned by gender or Elemental type. Oh, and there are two bathrooms on each floor.”

The hall curved a bit to the left and opened up into a large, tall room. Extremely tall, in fact, and shaped like a large, slanted cylinder. It was lined with hallways, several sets of stairs, and a few pairs of straight poles climbing towards the top of the room.

“We call this the Core,” Viktor said. “The central room of the Southern Wing, the one where we, ahem, met yesterday… it’s called the Center. Obviously, we’re the more creative Wing.”

Yuuri went over to the railing, leaned out over it, and looked straight up. Hundreds of feet above was a flat surface with funny patterns on it — surprisingly, the entire area was filled with light, though Yuuri couldn’t pinpoint the source. “What’s up there?” He looked down, nearly dropping his glasses, and saw several people standing in a mostly empty area filled with odd-looking objects. “And what’s down there?”

Viktor joined him, leaning against the rail. “We're on the second floor. So, up there is six more floors of dormitories, the entrances to a bunch of classrooms, two rec rooms, and our library. Oh, and on top of that platform you can see is the cafeteria.

“Down there is one more floor of dorms, and what you see at the very bottom is a training area. Those guys are practicing Magic.”

“Wow, really?” Yuuri couldn’t see what the people were doing, but every so often, a burst of colored light would flash. He could hear shouting and whoops of laughter.

“Yes, really.” Viktor sounded amused. “We’ll start down there, then we’ll go to the classrooms and work our way up from there. Sound good?”

“Sounds great!”

“Glad you’re excited,” said Viktor, eyes glistering.

They took two flights of winding stairs down to the bottom level, with Viktor in the lead. Yuuri was looking left and right frantically, trying to take it all in. There was a lowered section of the floor, where the people were training their Magic, but around that were small tables and chairs, and there were numerous doors set in the walls, most of them labeled. A small cafe took up a decent amount of space.

“Besides the cafeteria, the Mini is the only place you can get food,” Viktor said. “It’s great for late-night cram sessions… I’d know.”

Yuuri was paying half-attention to Viktor, and the other half was occupied with watching the people training. “So that area’s for training?”

“Yeah, some people prefer it to going up top, which you usually need special permission for. Plus, this area has a forcefield, so if things get out of control everyone will be safe.”

“Out of control?”

“Well, duh.”

Yuuri looked at at him. “You do realize that I know next to nothing about Magic, right?”

“Sorry, sorry, I keep forgetting,” Viktor said, backpedaling. “You’ll learn this pretty fast, but Magic is sometimes hard to control, especially if you’re a beginner or trying to learn something complex. If your Magic gets out of control, it’s like an outburst, though it’s normally not as bad as the first outburst.” Viktor folded his arms. “That’s why we’re not allowed to use Magic outside of designated areas.”

“Wait, people really don’t use it at all outside of set areas?”

Viktor chuckled. “Of course we do, Yuuri. Just not in front of teachers.”

Yuuri flushed and looked at his feet. “Oh.”

“Aw, Yuuri, don’t be upset! I can’t imagine how weird and foreign this all must feel to you.” Viktor frowned. “Sorry if I’m being insensitive.”

“You’re not being insensitive… I just… wish I knew all this stuff already. I don’t want to stick out or anything.”

“You won’t stick out! You’ll fit right in here, trust me,” Viktor said cheerfully. “Well, you can experiment in the Sump later on, once you’ve got a bit of a handle on your Magic. Let’s go to the classrooms.”

“What’s the Sump?” Yuuri asked as he followed Viktor, threading around the tables.

“Oh, it’s what we call the training area down there,” Viktor said, gesturing vaguely to the lowered area. “I’m sure some English nerd named most of these places…”

Viktor stopped in front of one of the sets of twin poles and reached out, touching one of them. His fingers glowed blue.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the Sphaera,” said Viktor.

A Sphaera came out of nowhere, attached to the poles, and slid down them to land in front of them.

Yuuri jumped. “Where did it come from?” he squeaked.

“They kinda hover around near the ceiling and wait for someone to call them. They’re remotely attached to the poles and react to Magic.” This Sphaera was slightly smaller and open on one side. Viktor stepped aside, letting Yuuri go in first, and Yuuri noticed the small keypad inside.

“Is this like an elevator, then?”

“What’s an elevator?”

“It’s like… um… it’s like a Sphaera, sort of, but it’s box-shaped and moves using cables and control panels."

“Sphaera are generally driven by Magic and mental manipulation, but the keypads are there to make our lives easier,” Viktor explained.

Viktor touched a button on the keypad and the Sphaera shot up. Yuuri gasped at the sensation, and a powerful ache throbbed in his abdomen. He flinched and barely stopped himself from reaching up. Thankfully, Viktor didn’t notice.

“Here, look,” Viktor said when the Sphaera came to a stop. “The dorms are labeled D-1 through 10, and the classrooms are labeled C-1 through 5.”

The control panel was mounted on a raised platform, and had several rows of small buttons, green ones labeled ‘D’ and red ones labeled ‘C.’ Under each button was a set of raised bumps that Yuuri recognized as Braille. There was also a short row of red buttons.

“What do those do?”

“Oh, we never have to use those. The big red one on the left is an emergency alarm, and those two small ones open and close the doors, but we usually don’t bother with it.”

There was a single button, blue and labeled ‘CAF.’

“I’m guessing that’s for the cafeteria?”

“Bingo.” Viktor gestured to the opening in the Sphaera. “After you.”

“Thanks,” Yuuri said, choking back a stammer.

The halls there were a little higher, and the doors were larger and further apart. Instead of having numbers on the doors, there were three-digit codes on plaques above each door.

“So these are the classrooms?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor nodded. “This floor is for gen ed… English, Math, Magical History, Magical Science…”

“Ugh, we still have to do math?”

“Of course we do,” Viktor said, failing to hold back a smirk.

Yuuri huffed. “Excuse me for not getting excited at the idea of no trig.”

“God, don’t I wish.” Viktor groaned. “Speaking of trig… I haven’t finished my homework…”

“Viktor!”

“What? It’s no big deal. The teachers don’t care that much, as long as you don’t slack off all the time.”

Yuuri bit back a remark that probably would have sounded patronizing and followed Viktor down the hall.

Viktor stopped by a large window and pointed through it. “This is my English class. I think you might be in it.”

Stopping next to Viktor, Yuuri looked and saw that the classroom was actually about ten feet below the window. He could see part of a set of steps leading down from the door.

“Are all the classes in lowered rooms?” he asked.

“Yep! I guess it’s more efficient,” Viktor said. “There’s maintenance at the very bottom of the wing, and the dorms are at sort of a slope, I think, so there are empty spaces near the top for port rooms and practice areas.”

“Okay.” Yuuri had no clue what Viktor meant.

The classroom looked no different from Earthen classrooms, except for the fact it was lowered. The teacher was making a lecture, holding a book peppered with sticky notes in one hand and waving the other emphatically. Most of the students looked bored to tears.

“That’s Mr. Qwu,” Viktor said. “He’s really dull.”

“Mr. Wu?”

“It has a ‘q’ at the beginning.” Viktor smiled. “Magic surnames are weirder-sounding than Earthen ones. You’ll get used to it!

“Come on, I’ll bring you up to the training rooms,” Viktor said, turning around and starting back down the hall. “The only thing you should know about these floors is that on your schedule, there’ll be rooms labeled C-1 and C-2, this floor and the one above us.”

“What about the other floors?”

Viktor looked over his shoulder at Yuuri. “They’re M-1, M-2, and M-3.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Trust me, Yuuri, you’ll get accustomed to all this easily. I know it seems like a lot right now, but it’s bearable.”

Yuuri nodded. “I hope you’re right.”

“I’m always right!” 

“And modest, too,” Yuuri quipped. ( _And also distractingly cute,_ he thought absently.)

Viktor flashed him a radiant smile.

The M floors had even taller ceilings, and the rooms were spread out much wider. Yuuri peeked in the windows as they passed and saw groups of students and a few teachers reading out of books, or standing facing each other, or sitting on the floor with their eyes closed.

“What are they doing?” Yuuri couldn’t help but ask.

“Training,” Viktor said. “And before you ask,” he said as Yuuri opened his mouth, “there are a lot of different ways people train. There are incantations you can use to focus. Many people need high body awareness, so they dance or do martial arts. Some people work best when they’re listening to music.”

“How will I know what works for me?”

“Trial and error.” Viktor shrugged. “Most teachers have you try different things until you find what works for you,” he said, and then paused. “Emotion is an important part of it, though. Emotional control is a huge part of training.”

“So you need to suppress your emotions?”

“Not necessarily,” Viktor said. “Well, most Ignis do, but other Elementalists simply need to be able to focus their emotions.”

“Why specifically Ignis?” Yuuri asked.

“You ask a lot of questions, Yuuri.” Viktor’s tone was light, but Yuuri felt that he’d somehow overstepped.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

Viktor sighed. “It’s fine. You’re curious…” He stopped walking and faced Yuuri, running a hand through his hair. “I apologize. My… I have a close friend who is an Ignis, and I’ve seen firsthand why Ignis are trained to control their emotions.”

Yuuri was shocked to see the sorrowful look on Viktor’s face. “I’m sorry.”

“No, there was no way for you to know,” Viktor said. “All of this is new to you, after all.”

An ugly mixture of guilt and embarrassment settled in Yuuri’s stomach.

“I’ll show you the cafeteria next,” Viktor decided. “Then, I can take you-”

An explosion rocked the hall, and Yuuri stumbled into Viktor, sending them both crashing to the floor.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I'm not dead, I promise, but I feel really crappy because I promised a chapter by Sunday. I had some writer's block with this chap - I had everything planned out, but everything felt all jumbled in my head. I did only light editing before posting, though, so I'm sorry if things are confusing. And about the cliffhanger... nobody's hurt, I swear! Yuuri was surprised, is all :)
> 
> There'll be more explanations next chapter, when Viktor takes Yuuri "up top" and on a quick tour of the Southern Wing.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and thanks to everyone who's supported me!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tour Pt. 2 - Yuuri meets one of Viktor's acquaintances, finds out exactly what "up top" means, and realizes that Viktor has little patience for his questions.

“Wh… what was that…?!” Yuuri pushed himself up on his elbows.

“Don’t worry about it,” Viktor said, lifting his head.

Yuuri realized that he was sprawled across Viktor’s chest, and their faces were mere inches apart. He let out a shaking breath, stunned, and a few strands of his hair brushed across Viktor’s cheek…

It dawned on him that he was making a fool of himself, and he scrambled back. “I’m sorry! That wasn’t intentional!” His stomach pulsed with pain.

Viktor laughed and stood up. “Don’t worry about it,” he repeated. “You’re excitable, aren’t you?”

Yuuri flushed at the condescension in Viktor’s voice — Viktor had addressed him almost like you’d address an out-of-control puppy. He kept his face stiff, masking his pain.

Someone slammed open the door of a nearby classroom, and black smoke billowed out.

“Minami, we need to up your meditation time,” an older man said cheerfully as he emerged from the fog. He coughed a few times as an afterthought.

A short boy with red-streaked hair staggered out behind him. “Sorry! I’ll wake up earlier and get more time in!”

“Hello, Minami,” Viktor said. “Another mishap?”

The boy noticed Viktor and sighed. “Yeah. I can’t get the freaking shape right! I’m _so close_ to forming a sphere, but they keep exploding.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Viktor reassured him. “Spheres took me a while, too.”

Minami looked at Yuuri. “Who’s this?”

“This is Yuuri Katsuki, the newest transfer here,” Viktor said.

Minami’s eyes widened. “Katsuki?”

Yuuri looked at Viktor in time to see him shake his head. Minami shrugged and continued like nothing had happened. “And don’t we already have a Yuri?”

Viktor’s eyes widened. “You’re right! We’ll have to think of a nickname for one of them.”

“If I get a say, I’d like to keep my name, thanks,” Yuuri interjected.

Minami laughed and stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Yuuri!”

Yuuri scratched the back of his neck. “Um…”

“Yuuri here is a little sensitive to Magic,” Viktor said. “We need to keep physical contact to a minimum. Speaking of that… Yuuri, you did touch me when you fell down. Your face is a little red… Do you feel alright?”

The lightheaded feeling and the blush painting his face had nothing to do with Magic. “I feel fine.”

“Well, we should get going,” Viktor said.

“Don’t you have class?”

“I’m taking Yuuri on a campus tour,” Viktor said, “and he still hasn’t gone up top.”

“Oh.” Minami smiled. “Have fun! See you guys later!” He followed his teacher back into the smoky classroom, and Viktor and Yuuri headed towards the Sphaera.

Yuuri pressed the blue button, and the Sphaera hurtled upwards. He inhaled sharply, still not quite accustomed to the sensation.

“You’ll get used to it.”

“You keep saying that,” Yuuri said.

“I felt like I’d never get comfortable with Apricus, the schedule, the amount of Magic, and everything. But I did, and so will you.”

_I grew up not knowing what Magic was. I grew up surrounded by people who hate what I am. I don’t even know how to control my Magic._

All he said was “I think our circumstances are a little different.”

“Oh, for sure,” said Viktor as the Sphaera slowed down. “You’re a second-gen.”

“Is that weird?”

“No…”

Yuuri folded his arms.

“Okay, it’s a little weird,” Viktor admitted.

“Why? What’s weird about it?”

“I mean, it’s not weird, per se, just… uncommon. The Spark is passed down genetically, so your parents not having it is the weird part. Usually it means your grandparents had a strong gift with Magic,” said Viktor. “We learn about that stuff in M-Science.”

The cafeteria was wide and lined with long, wooden tables, not unlike those at Yuuri’s old school. Above them was a tall glass dome, through which Yuuri could see the sky. There were several stations at the far end of the room, shuttered closed, with menus posted over them.

“There’s a huge variety of food available,” Viktor said. “And if you have kitchen duty, you get first dibs.”

“Kitchen duty?”

“That’s what I said.”

Yuuri compressed his lips. “No, I mean… what is it?”

“Oh, each week you get assigned to a different task around the school. There’s kitchen duty, donation, shoveling snow, janitorial assistance, or you can sign on all year as a TA.” Viktor grimaced. “Not many people do that, though.”

“What am I assigned to?”

“Probably nothing yet,” Viktor said. “Check your pager when you get back to your room.”

“My what?”

“You’ll see.” Apparently Viktor had given up trying to answer Yuuri’s questions. “So those doors over there lead to more practice areas and the donation rooms.”

“Donation…?”

“You’ll learn more about that later, but we’re on a tight schedule here. Let’s go up top, I’ll show you where we do partner and solo work.”

“Will I ever work with people in a class?”

“Twice a week we do class by Elemental type, and on the weekends we have sparring practices. You might not be able to do that at first, though, since you don’t know how to control your Magic.”

Yuuri winced at the (unintentional?) jab. Viktor didn’t notice.

“There are a few ways to get up top, but the ladders are most common. There are also two sets of spiral stairs, but they get crowded easily.” Viktor pointed to several sets of metal ladders next to several sets of metal poles.

“What are the poles for?”

“Sliding down, of course. Climbing down a ladder is so tedious, don’t you think?” Viktor lowered his voice and leaned close to Yuuri’s ear. “Sometimes we’ll slide down the poles meant for Sphaera, and let them chase us to the ground floor.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry, you shouldn’t do it until you’ve got a handle on your abilities,” Viktor said. “But once you do, you should give it a shot!”

“That sounds… dangerous.”

“I’m a dangerous kind of guy.”

“I can tell,” Yuuri deadpanned.

“Ladies first,” Viktor said, gesturing to the nearest ladder.

“By all means, then,” Yuuri replied, stepping back.

Viktor smirked. “Ha ha, funny.”

“I wasn’t joking.”

Viktor blinked at him. “You’re odd.”

“Pot, kettle, black,” Yuuri said.

“Fine, you win this round.” Viktor climbed up the ladder, and Yuuri pulled on his coat before following.

Yuuri got to his feet. He noticed that they’d climbed from a hatch that closed behind them as soon as they walked far enough away. The air was chilly, but not as cold as he’d expected. Around them twined a network of halls, and a few lettered doorways.

“This is where some of the groupwork and partnerwork happens,” Viktor explained.

“Do we get assigned partners?”

“Yes,” Viktor said. “Headmaster Atlas assigns them personally.”

“When will I know?”

“He’ll page you, I bet. Either way, partners can be switched around based on preference and Magic compatibility.” Viktor winked. “Maybe _we’ll_ be partners.”

“That would make sense,” Yuuri replied, struggling to keep a neutral tone, “since our Magics are compatible, right?”

“Mm, you’re right. You know, that’s kind of rare.”

“Huh?”

“Most Magic is kind of… nonaligned,” Viktor said. “Either that, or it’s incompatible and you should stay apart. But you and I, we’re lucky!” He paused. “I should talk to the Headmaster, actually. We’d make good partners.”

“What exactly do partners do?”

Viktor set off down a hallway to the right, and Yuuri followed. “Work together, practice Magic together, try different control techniques together… Everyone’s assigned one, whether or not their Magics are compatible. I’m Chris’ right now, but it’s easy to switch and he won’t mind.”

“Who’s Chris?”

Viktor sighed, keeping his eyes ahead. “He’s an Aere. You’ll meet him at lunch.”

Yuuri shut up. He knew when to take a hint.

After a minute or so of walking, they reached a metal door trimmed with silver.

“Out here is the unprotected region of the island,” Viktor said. “There’s a thin energy field to keep out the worst of it, but it’s going to get really cold and windy. Stay close to me, okay?”

“Okay,” Yuuri said, buttoning up his coat. Viktor pushed open the door and Yuuri followed him outside.

Viktor hadn’t been exaggerating about the cold and the wind. Yuuri shoved his hands in his pockets and, head tucked, followed Viktor forward. Looking over the top of his glasses, Yuuri saw a vast, flat stretch of stone, broken up by a few small structures here and there.

“Up here is used for storage,” Viktor called over his shoulder, “and for-”

A blast of wind ripped his words away, along with his scarf, which fluttered into the air.

“Damn it, that’s the third one this year,” Viktor said, turning away.

Instinctively, Yuuri reached out his fingers and seized the piece of golden fabric. It stopped in mid-air and flew into his hand. After hesitating a second, Yuuri realized that Viktor had already pressed on, and he hurried to follow.

Near the edge of the island was a box-shaped building, about twenty feet wide and ten feet tall. Viktor used a bit of Magic to unseal the door, and rushed inside. Yuuri was hot on his heels.

“Whew! What a rush!” Viktor exclaimed, running a hand through his windswept hair.

“What’s this place?” Yuuri asked.

“It’s one of the most heavily protected training areas in Apricus,” Viktor said. “There are four, one on each corner, and there are a few more inside as well.

“Well, we should head back and take a quick spin around the Southern Wing before lunch-”

Yuuri blinked and looked up. “What?”

“My… Is that my scarf?”

“Um…” Yuuri looked at the scarf in his hand. “Yes?”

“I know for a fact that you don’t have yours yet, because it’s presented at the welcoming ceremony,” Viktor said. “Yuuri… I had no idea you had control over your Magic!”

“Uhm… me neither,” Yuuri admitted, handing Viktor his scarf.

“How did you do it?”

“I just kind of, sort of, stretched out my hand and tried to catch it, and it… came to me.”

“That’s so cool!” Viktor gushed.

“No…”

“It is! And you haven’t even had any training yet!” Viktor clapped his hands. “I can’t wait to tell everyone at lunch!”

“Please don’t,” Yuuri said, but Viktor wasn’t listening. He’d already crossed to the door and opened it, and Yuuri had no choice but to follow.

 

Yuuri’s second ride on the Sphaer-up wasn’t as cool as the first one had felt, but it was still an odd sensation. He tried not to look at his reflection in the glass — he had no clue how everyone was being so blasé about the giant bruise on his face. Leaning a bit closer, Yuuri touched the tender area and realized the bruise had faded quite a lot. Maybe that was it. (Or they were all being overly-polite.)

The halls were empty. Yuuri took in the smaller details he’d missed the day before: the curved walls, the slope of the ceiling, the smaller windows looking into the classrooms. On the left of the hall was a railing, with a strip of ridged floor beside it.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“We call it the Ramp,” Viktor said. “Since there are so many classrooms in the Southern Wing, you can use it to walk to your class.”

“So, it moves?”

Viktor nodded.

“Like a walking escalator?”

“A what?”

“It’s… basically what that is,” Yuuri explained.

“Cool.”

An awkward silence settled, and they reached the end of the classrooms. They were in an area overlooking a deeper pit, and when Yuuri looked down he realized he was looking at the place where he’d had his unfortunate meeting with Viktor the day before.

“This is the Center,” Viktor said. “There are a couple smaller sections, and Sphaera that connect to the dorms. There are five floors, but they’re really big.”

Viktor pointed to a few of the doors lining the bottom. “Some of these lead outside, to the outdoor classrooms. There are a lot of different places, it’s hard to keep straight. I bet there’s a map in your orientation folder.”

“Okay,” Yuuri said, unsure what else to say.

Five chimes rang out of seemingly nowhere, and Yuuri flinched. Viktor laughed.

“That’s the lunch bell,” Viktor said, covering his smile. “Let’s take the Ramp back to the Sphaer-up before everyone starts crowding us. Hurry!”

Yuuri ran to catch up, unbuttoning his coat. At some point, he’d gotten a little too hot to be comfortable.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious... why are people reacting so oddly to hearing Yuuri's name? And Viktor's kind of full of himself, and he's not very patient... He's not a bad person, but he doesn't realize yet that Yuuri is his soulmate and not just some underclassman ;^; And Yuuri's already so deep in crush AND in denial...!!
> 
> Lunch next chapter, and many more introductions!! I haven't forgotten about all our favorite characters *_^ Anyone want to guess what Elementalist types they are? Somebody already got Phichit's — he's a Terra. (Terra Incognita...) And it might not be obvious from the chap, but Minami is actually an Unda! I know, I was shocked, too, but that's what he chose ;)
> 
> ~
> 
> Any confused parties who want to know a bit more about the Magical world/get a refresher can check out this link:
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/8803732.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tour Pt. 3 - Yuuri has lunch in the Northern Wing's Cafeteria and meets the gang.

Viktor and Yuuri took the Sphaer-up to the Northern Wing as students filled the halls. A few called out to Viktor, and he responded cheerfully. Yuuri kept his head low and his eyes fixed ahead.

Viktor elbowed his way through the crowd and towards one of the elevators (or whatever they were, if Sphaera could be considered elevators).

“Try and call the Sphaera,” he suggested, and Yuuri jumped.

“Me? But I-”

“You got my scarf, right? Try it!”

Yuuri hesitated, then reached out and touched the pole. Nothing happened.

“Call your Magic,” Viktor said.

“I don’t know how!”

“Yes, you do, subconsciously. Come on, Yuuri.”

“No, I _don’t,”_ Yuuri snapped, and his hand pulsed with silver light. A Sphaera came hurtling from the ceiling and missed his arm by inches — it would have hit him if he hadn’t jerked his hand back. It felt like an electric shock and left him feeling faintly buzzed.

“See? I knew you could do it.”

Yuuri glowered at him, stepping into the Sphaera and fighting back a wave of dizziness. “That was stupid. What if I passed out?”

“Um… you’re not going to pass out, are you?”

“No.”

“No harm done, then!”

Viktor pressed the blue button, and Yuuri’s dizziness increased tenfold. He swayed and pressed his hands to the glass to steady himself.

“Yuuri?”

“I’m fine,” he muttered, hating how Viktor rolled the “r” in his name.

He followed Viktor into the mass of students. They were all taking food from the various stations and putting it on trays, chatting, laughing.

Viktor handed Yuuri a plate. “Take whatever you want.”

They weaved through the stalls. Viktor picked up a piece of pizza, a salad, and a glass bottle of what looked like either coffee or chocolate milk. Yuuri, trying to keep up, picked up a salad and a bottle of water and trailed after Viktor, palms almost sweaty enough for his tray to slip from his hands.

“Hey, Otabek!” Viktor called, making a beeline for a nearly empty table. A boy looked up and acknowledged Viktor with a nod before returning to his novel.

Yuuri sat down a few feet from Viktor, trying not to let his nerves show. This boy, Otabek, had a severe look to him — his hair was shaved close to his head above his ears, and he was wearing a worn leather jacket. Not really the “type” Yuuri hung around with.

 _Then again… nobody here is the “type” I’m used to,_ Yuuri thought, a wry smile twisting his mouth. He uncapped his water, and was about to take a sip when someone slapped his shoulder. “Hi!”

Yuuri shrieked, and half the cafeteria went silent before snickering and returning to their conversations.

“Sorry if I scared you!” Somebody threw themselves onto the bench near Yuuri. “Viktor, who’s this?”

“This is Yuuri, the transfer,” Viktor said, immersed in what looked like a large phone or a small tablet. Yuuri forced back the question and turned to look at the newcomer.

“Hi, Yuuri! I’m Phichit.”

Phichit had dark hair and bright eyes, and was wearing a red sweatshirt with swirling gold decals. Yuuri noticed he was wearing sweatpants and sneakers.

“I was just working out with Georgi,” he explained, noticing Yuuri’s curious stare. “Be right back… I’m starving.”

The blonde boy Yuuri had seen yesterday slammed his tray next to Otabek and sat down, visibly fuming.

“How did it go?” Otabek asked.

“How do you _think_ it went?” the boy grumbled. "I can't control the goddamn temperature; it keeps blowing up."

Otabek patted his arm.

“Hi, Yuri,” Viktor said, and both Yuuri and the blonde boy looked up.

“Who’s this pig?” the blonde asked, snapping apart a pair of wooden chopsticks and stabbing one in Yuuri’s direction.

Yuuri bristled. “Pig?”

“This is Yuuri,” Viktor said, “and since you two have the same name, we’ll have to give one of you a nickname!”

“Give it to the pig,” Yuri said. “He’s the new one.”

“We could call you the Ice Tiger,” Viktor said.

“Or we could call you the Ice Kitten,” Phichit volunteered, having returned with his tray.

“Call me that and I’ll rip your throat out,” Yuri said.

“Feisty,” said another newcomer, a girl with red hair. Yuuri recognized her from the day before as well. “I like Ice Kitten, personally.”

“Hey, Mila,” Viktor said. “Where’s Sara?”

“She went straight for the pizza,” Mila said. “Yuuri. We meet again.”

Yuuri flushed. “I made a pretty bad first impression,” he mumbled.

“Speak up!” she said. “It’s loud in here!”

“Nice to meet you… again,” Yuuri said, a bit louder.

Several other people approached the table, and Viktor greeted them with a wide smile. Yuuri caught several names as rapid-fire conversations carried on around him: Seung-gil, who barely talked at all; Mickey, who looked similar to Sara, which made sense, as they were siblings; Emil, who was talking to anyone who would listen about the science behind breathing underwater; Guang-Hong and Leo, who were having an intense conversation about the elemental circle (whatever that was); and JJ, who was bragging about his successful levitation the past period.

Yuuri’s chest felt hollow. He traced circles on the edge of his tray and hoped lunch would be over quickly, so he could go back to his room. Maybe he’d write a letter… his mom had asked-

“You’re Yuuri, right?”

He looked up to see a girl with brown hair and a soft smile, a tray in one hand and a backpack in the other.

“Y-yeah,” he said, voice cracking. “What’s your name?”

“Yuuko. Can I sit here?”

He noticed that there was an empty space on either side of him. Phichit had moved down the table, and Yuuri had already put distance between himself and Viktor (not that Viktor noticed, or cared, apparently). “Sure,” he said, and was thankful when she sat in the gap between him and Viktor.

“So, you’re a second-gen?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“It’s rare,” she said. “What’s your surname?”

“Katsuki,” he said, seeing no harm in telling her.

“Oh.” She smiled. “That’s a familiar name.”

“It is?”

“Yeah, we used to have a teacher with that name. Professor Sorano.”

“Oh!” Yuuri recalled the conversation he’d had with his father. “She’s my grandmother, on my dad’s side.”

“Really? That’s so cool! She was my solo tutor my first year here, but she kinda disappeared over the summer. I always wondered what happened to her! Do you know her?”

“No, I never met her. My dad told me about her.”

“Well, she was a powerful Aere, so I’m not surprised her bit of the Spark made it down a generation or two,” Yuuko said, eyes sparkling. “I’m an Aere, too, you know.”

“Cool,” Yuuri said, mustering a smile.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Yuuri’s smile twisted into something a bit more rueful. “Not really.”

“Well, you should eat anyways! If you’re staring class tomorrow, you’ll need your energy.”

“Yuuri!” someone trilled, and Yuuri turned to see Minami hopping up and down in place.

“Hi, Minami.”

“You guys know each other?” Yuuko asked.

“He blew something up while Viktor showed me the classrooms,” Yuuri said.

“I might have accidentally exploded a heated sphere of water,” Minami admitted, sitting down on Yuuri’s other side. “How d'you like Apricus so far, Yuuri?”

“It’s big,” Yuuri said.

“Yeah, that’s an understatement!” Minami grinned. “What are your classes?”

“Um, I don’t know. I haven’t looked at my schedule yet.”

“Well, let me know! I hope we have some together!”

“Thanks,” Yuuri said softly.

Phichit slid down the bench, knocking into Minami. “Hey, Yuuri! Smile!”

Yuuri covered his face as Phichit turned a camera around to take a selfie.

“Aw, Yuuri’s camera-shy!” Phichit giggled. “Hey, Viktor, don’t do that!”

Yuuri uncovered his face and looked over his shoulder to see Viktor staring at Phichit. “Do what?”

Phichit snapped a picture the moment Yuuri turned back around. He shot Yuuri a devious look and went back to his lunch.

“He’s always like that,” Yuuko confided.

“Don’t let it get to you. He’s a master matchmaker,” Minami said.

“Who said anything about matchmaking…?”

Yuuko and Minami looked at each other for a minute before looking back to Yuuri, twin expressions of disbelief on their faces.

“Are you kidding me?” Minami finally said.

“You’ve been making doe eyes at Viktor since I met you, like, five minutes ago,” Yuuko said. “Not that I blame you or anything. But Phichit picks up on romantic stuff like _that.”_ She snapped her fingers.

“What? No! No way!” Yuuri flapped his hands, blushing. “Cut it out- I’m not- I'm not making _doe_ eyes at him!”

Viktor looked over at him, eyebrows delicately arched, and Yuuri barely kept himself from smashing his forehead off the tabletop.

“Admit it. You’re in love,” Yuuko whispered.

“Stop it,” he whispered back. “I am _not.”_

“Denial!” Minami sang, ripping open a bag of chips.

“Some friends you guys are,” Yuuri grumbled. He froze, realizing he must have overstepped, and struggled to think of something to say-

“Excuse you, we’re _awesome,”_ Yuuko teased. “Viktor’s almost as full of himself as JJ, but he’s a nice guy once you get to know him.”

“I can hear you, you know!” JJ called from a few feet down the table.

“That’s the point!” Yuuko yelled.

“You’re a bad partner!”

“You keep telling me that!”

“He’s your partner?” Yuuri asked.

“Yeah.” Yuuko grimaced. “I mean, he’s really narcissistic, but he’s dedicated and patient. Could be worse. Don’t tell him I said that.”

Down the table, something exploded. Yuuri saw that Yuri had shattered Viktor's half-empty beverage, and was standing and snapping at him. "You're not calling me Yurio! That's not my name!" His sandwich wrapper bursted into flames, which Mila quickly doused. 

"Yuri, calm down," Otabek said, and Yuri sank back into his seat, glaring at Viktor, who was somehow still smiling.

"He's fiery," Yuuri said.

"Was that a pun?" Minami asked.

"Um... I... maybe?"

Yuuko snorted, and JJ yelled something across the table at her. Yuuri zoned out.

The room was filled with chatter, and Yuuri drank it in. He smiled. The hollow feeling — that loneliness — had fled.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished my IYWS application and turned it in this morning, so that's over and done with!! Also, there are only a few games left in the season, so I'll hopefully have more time/energy to spend writing. There's still a lot more exposition to go — if you have questions, ask away and I'll answer them!!
> 
> Thanks for your support!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri finally opens his orientation folder, and has dinner with his new friends.

“Headmaster Atlas said to give you the afternoon off,” Viktor said as they came to a stop outside Yuuri’s room. “You’re probably tired from being around Magic. You should sleep.”

“Mm, I might.” Yuuri reached for the panel beside his door and let out the smallest bit of Magic, and the door swung open. His fingers suddenly went numb, and he tucked his arm behind his back, keeping his face blank. “Thank you for the tour, Viktor.”

Viktor smiled. “Anytime, Yuuri. Let me know if you need anything.”

 _I need you to stop saying my name like that._ “Okay.”

“Oh, and Chris told me that you’re in his Aere groupwork class, and he’ll meet you there tomorrow afternoon.”

Yuuri nodded, and his good hand moved to the doorknob.

“Yuuri?”

“Hmm?” Yuuri answered, staring past Viktor at nothing in particular.

In his peripheral vision, Yuuri saw Viktor’s mouth open and close a few times. Yuuri’s eyes traveled to meet Viktor’s. “Yes?”

“See you at dinner,” he said, but phrased it almost like a question.

“Sure,” Yuuri said, and he shut the door on him.

Yuuri sat on the edge of his bed and stared at his hand. It was trembling, but at least he could feel it. He massaged his temples. A slight headache was throbbing behind his eyes, either from overexposure to Magic or overexposure to Viktor… or possibly dehydration.

He noticed there was a tall mirror on his door — he hadn’t noticed it before. Yuuri stood, and, lifting the edge of his shirt, stared at the bandages wrapped around his abdomen.

His side had started hurting at some point during the morning, fading to a dull pulsation. The bandages looked clean, and Yuuri didn’t remember his mom saying anything about injuring his ribs… At least the bruise on his face was nearly gone. He reached up and began unwinding the gauze.

Finally, he had to take off his shirt completely, because the bandages were wound so high. He tossed it behind him, and held the last of the gauze loosely in one hand.

Most of the left side of his body was covered in a series of dark purple and yellow bruises. He brushed against a particularly dark area with shaking fingertips and hissed, yanking his hand back.

He began to rewrap the bandages, trying to position them up like they’d been before. A yellowish ointment coated sections of the cloth, and it tingled when it got on his fingers. As he wrapped, he stared at himself in the mirror, examining the soft edges and lines of his body. His fingers paused at the edge of a bruise, and he traced the outline of his stomach.

What Yuri had said to him at lunch… he had a point. Yuuri bit his lip. He wasn’t in incredible shape or anything, but _pig?_

Did he look that ugly?

Yuuri shoved that thought aside and seized his shirt from where it had landed. Standing stiffly, he noticed a black folder on the desk, with a golden crest on the front.

 _Must be my orientation folder._ He picked it up and flipped it open.

Inside were several pieces of paper. Yuuri picked up one and examined it.

 

_Mr. Katsuki,_

_I would like to take this opportunity to formally welcome you to Apricus. Though you are new to the Magical world, I have no doubt that you will adapt quickly and work to the best of your capabilities. Of course, an Earthen transcript isn’t an accurate representation of your skills, but it reflects your academic prowess and drive to succeed._

_Classes will begin for you on September 22nd. I am hoping that you will have an opportunity to take a tour before then, but as I write this letter I am unsure how quickly your body will adjust to Magic, so there is no way to know if you will be in any condition to walk, let alone tour._

_While most students are first-gen (Magical parent(s)), you are one of the rarer second-gens (Magical grandparent(s)). Despite this fact, I am sure you will have no trouble making friends. Your age indicates that you will be placed in the third year, though your Magical classes will be at first-year level and many of your General classes are in fourth._

_Most classes have similar grading and homework policies, though only English, Math, History, and Science receive formal grades. Magical work is based on comments, and you will move up to higher-level group classes based on your abilities. I am unsure whether you are aware of the partner policy, but as you will see on your schedule, all students are assigned specific times for partnerwork. As of now, your partner is unassigned — I shall message your pager when I reach a decision._

_This Friday is your welcoming ceremony. We usually hold it the first Friday after term begins for all the incoming students, but as you are a late arrival, your ceremony will be separate and slightly less formal. Most incoming students are between thirteen and fourteen, as Magical youth do not receive formal education unless sent to a boarding school like Apricus._

_The third Saturday of each month marks the monthly Summit games. You will learn more about that when the date draws nearer, but I didn’t want you to be blindsided. Of course, you will be notified in advance of most school functions via your pager._

_Please look over your schedule and school map — you will find they will be immensely helpful, as Apricus’ campus is expansive._

_If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to send me a message on your pager, once you have set it up, which I advise you do so at your earliest convenience. I also advise you to customize the lock on your door — it is not difficult to do, simply keep your hand pressed to the door until the panel glows silver, and it will save your handprint and allow only you to enter your room._

_Once again, welcome to Apricus. I see great potential in you, and I cannot wait to see how far your Magic can go._

_Headmaster Atlas_

 

Yuuri’s head spun as he tried to take in all that information. Finally, he gave up on comprehending everything the Headmaster had said, going back to the folder.

The next thing he pulled out was his schedule, neatly typed up by day of the week. At least he got Sundays off.

Next came a slim, silvery device with a darkened screen. Yuuri remembered seeing Viktor messing around with a similar-looking appliance.

Yuuri never had any kind of cellphone — his parents let him have a flip phone, for emergencies, but this device looked vaguely similar to the touchscreen phones all his classmates had had. He pressed the button at the bottom, and the screen lit up.

_Welcome to Apricus. Please enter your Student ID._

Student ID? He reached for his folder and pulled out the last few items: a detailed map, a small, thick booklet, and his schedule. At the top was his student ID, which he typed into the device.

_Welcome, Yuuri Katsuki. Tutorial?_

He clicked the “yes” option and clicked through the short slideshow.

_Every student at Apricus has a pager, the device you are holding in your hands right now. Apricus pagers allow access to an Internet connection on a closed network, with some restrictions — you can read more about internet restrictions in your Student Handbook. These pagers also offer automatic updates on school events, reminders about homework and projects, and weather forecasts up to two weeks in advance. Students may also call other students via a visual or audio connection, and a text-based feature is also available._

_Unfortunately, we cannot allow social media websites or foreign apps to be installed and used on campus. Because of numerous complaints from students, we have established an app called iM, which serves as our main social media platform. You may download it and delete it at any time._

_A limited amount of storage is available for pictures, videos, and music. Movies and songs may be purchased from the ApStore for a small charge. Select fitness and utility apps are also available._

_Violation of the rules will result in your pager privileges being revoked._

Yuuri clicked out of the window and spent a few minutes playing with his pager, moving around the different apps: Weather, ApStore, Music, Mail, Photos, Internet. He didn’t spent much time with it, though — there would be plenty of time later.

Finally, he got around to looking at his schedule. Dinner began at 5:50, so he had plenty of time to kill. If he was in class, he would be in… Partnerwork. Yuuri thought back to Viktor’s offhand comment about their compatibility and flushed.

On cue, his pager vibrated. Yuuri jumped and pulled it from his pocket.

_Hi, Yuuri! Just solidified things with the Headmaster. See you in room 524 on Friday ;)_

And just like that, Yuuri had the first person in his contacts: Viktor.

His mailbox flashed and lit up with a bright “1.” The header showed it was from Headmaster Atlas.

_Hello, Yuuri. Viktor Nikiforov has approached me and asked for permission to be your partner, which I granted. I wanted to make sure this decision did not make you uncomfortable. Please respond. -Headmaster Atlas._

Yuuri typed out a hasty reply.

_Thank you for notifying me. That’s fine with me. -Yuuri._

 

 

“Are you excited for your first day of classes?” Yuuko asked, tipping her soup bowl away from her and dipping her spoon into the broth.

“I guess.” Yuuri took a bite out of a roll and, as casually as he could manage, looked up at the glass dome above them. Gray clouds covered much of the sky, and small snowflakes whirled back and forth.

“There are two heated balconies up there,” Phichit said, scooting closer and brandishing his camera. “We should take you up there sometime, Yuuri!”

“Okay.” Yuuri eyed the camera. “Phichit, why don’t you just use your pager…?”

“Oh, that? Well, the quality of the photos is much lower, and I got special permission from the Headmaster to hook my camera to my pager. My pics on iM are the best out of everyone’s!”

“Yeah, you wish!” Sara said. “At least some of us can take inconspicuous photos.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Phichit pouted.

“Oh, please,” Mila said. “You tried to get a shot of Sara and me making out last week and ended up falling twenty feet.”

Yuuri looked at Phichit, wide-eyed, and Phichit grinned sheepishly. “What can I say? I’m a starving artist.”

“You’re gonna be plain old starving if you don’t hurry and finish your food,” Minami said. “Free time starts in five minutes.”

Phichit didn’t reply, digging into his shepherd’s pie.

Yuuri jumped as the table jumped under him, and looked to his left to see Yuri storming out of the cafeteria. Otabek was half-risen from the bench.

“Sorry, I didn’t know he’d react like that,” Viktor said, spreading his hands.

“You shouldn’t bait him,” Otabek said. “He’s in a bad mood.”

“Oh, he’s always in a bad mood,” Viktor said, and Otabek left, following Yuri’s path to the stairwell and vanishing from sight.

“What happened?” Yuuri asked.

“Viktor’s being an idiot, as usual,” JJ said.

“You’d know all about that, though, hmm?” Viktor replied.

“Hey, Viktor, lay off,” Georgi said quietly.

“What? I’m not doing anything.”

“Bad day?” Emil guessed.

Viktor sighed, flicking his wrist. “I’m fine. What’s with all of you turning into mother hens?”

“I mean, we know you’re a diva,” Mila teased, “but usually you’re a bit more sensitive to Yurio’s hotheadedness.”

“It’s not my fault that he’s so grumpy,” Viktor said.

“What did you say to him?” Yuuri couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing important,” Viktor replied, and returned to his meal.

“Yuuri voluntarily spoke a whole sentence to him!” Minami whispered to Yuuko.

“It’s progress, at least,” she whispered back.

“I can hear you both!” Yuuri said, blushing and smiling.

“Yuuri and Viktor sitting in a tree…” Phichit sang.

“Stoopp,” Yuuri groaned, and the three of them laughed.

“Don’t worry, Yuuri,” Yuuko said. “We’ll reinvigorate your love life.”

“Or lack thereof,” Phichit added.

“Enough, enough!” Yuuri flapped his hands, but the smile didn’t leave his face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post this tonight, because I've stared at it for so long I can't edit it anymore. Here you go, and hope you enjoy!!


	10. Thursday, September 21st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magical Science and Advanced English definitely aren't what Yuuri expects, and he receives yet another shock when traveling to see his supervisor.

“What’s your first class?” Yuuko peered over Yuuri’s shoulder at his schedule.

“Um, it says ‘M Science,’” Yuuri said. “Room 149 on the first floor of classrooms.”

“Oh, Magical Science! Dang, we don’t have that together. Oh, and you’ve got Advanced English after that?” She grinned and took a bite of her granola bar. “Nerd.”

“Is that an insult…?”

“No,” she said. “It’s an observation.”

“Whatever you say…”

Yuuko called the Sphaera, and hit the button for the first floor of classrooms. “You’d better hurry — the room’s pretty far down!”

“Okay! See you later!” Yuuri called, and began jogging down the hall.

Yuuko was right about the classroom being far down. Yuuri burst through the doors of the classroom two minutes late, out of breath, and saw the entire class staring at him. He noticed with a wince that he was the oldest one in the room.

“Mr. Katsuki? Please have a seat.” A woman with tied-back brown hair was standing in front of a wide blackboard.

Yuuri slunk to the back of the classroom, and several girls, who looked about thirteen, giggled at him as he passed by.

“Class, this is Yuuri Katsuki. He will be joining us for now, and I expect all of you to behave yourselves.”

Someone snorted.

“I heard that, Gabriel,” he said. “I’m inclined to take your textbook and give it to our new student.”

“Go ahead,” someone else called out. “It’s not like he uses it.”

“Alright, that's enough," she said, and the class went quiet.

In the end, Yuuri left the class with a textbook (not Gabriel’s) and a plethora of facts about the genes of Elementalists that he had no idea what to do with. (If he was being honest, he was still sort of generally in shock.)

The teacher had pulled him aside and handed him several packets. “This is a crash course on first- and second-year Magical Science. If you can pass those tests, I can move you to a higher-level class.”

“Oh, uhm, thank you,” Yuuri had said. “When is the test?”

“It’s in two weeks. Will that be enough time?” Mrs. Odagaki had asked.

“Yes,” Yuuri had replied, though he wasn’t that sure it was.

By the time lunch rolled around, Yuuri was feeling thoroughly dejected. His Advanced English class, the one class he thought he might have an edge in, was covering novels with terminology he’d never even _heard_ of. Despite the fact he was basically panicking, he studiously ignored Viktor the entire period, and rushed to the cafeteria as soon as the bell rang. He ate mechanically, far too much and far too fast.

Down the table, he heard Yuri snarl something about “piggy” and heard Viktor laugh. Dumping his empty tray, Yuuri scaled the nearest ladder, heedless of the worried eyes of his friends.

There were only four rooms in this central area, with signs pointing to them. Yuuri walked past them and opened a door leading out into the unsheltered area.

Belatedly, he realized he hadn’t brought his coat. He left his bookbag behind and wandered forward, tipping his head back back. Gray clouds drifted to and fro not far above his head, and snow dusted his glasses, fogging them up and making it nearly impossible to see. He took them off and took a deep breath. The only sound besides his breathing was the wind blowing and snow skittering… and the sound of a door opening behind him.

“Yuuri?”

Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to turn around. “Hi, Viktor.”

“Yuuri,” he said again. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just… need some space.”

“You’ve been distant all day.”

“You’ve barely talked to me all day.”

“Yuuri.”

He turned around. “What?”

Viktor had an odd expression on his face, one Yuuri couldn’t read. (Probably because he wasn’t wearing his glasses.) “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine,” Yuuri said. To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure what had come over him. He felt… strange. Not in a bad way, exactly, but… distant. Detached. “Why do you care?”

“We’re partners, aren’t we? We’re supposed to support each other.”

Yuuri swallowed back a bitter remark about Yuri’s insults. “I’m fine,” he repeated.

Viktor nodded, slowly, and the wind tossed his bangs aside. His smile was soft. “Your hair is all snowy. Come on, we should get back inside.”

Yuuri tried to return the smile — it felt like a gift, something he didn’t know how to give back. He followed Viktor inside the shelter of the walls.

 

“So, you’re the one who stole my partner from me.”

Yuuri whirled around, eyes wide, and bumped into a tall person with a blonde and black undercut and long eyelashes.

“Chris?” Yuuri guessed.

“That’s me.”

 _Nice to meet you,_ Yuuri tried to say, but ended up blurting “Viktor told me about you.”

“Only good things, I’m sure,” Chris said, winking. “I’m not surprised he chose you over me… Viktor always did have a thing for pretty foreign boys.”

As Yuuri fumbled, and a boy with mid-length brown hair approached them. “Who’s this, Chris?”

“Yuuri, the transfer,” Chris said, and smirked when he saw Yuuri’s shocked expression. “Oh, yes, Viktor’s told me all about you. You’re a little famous — the first second-gen we’ve seen in a while.”

“A while? He means ever,” the boy clarified.

“I suppose I should thank you, Yuuri,” Chris said. “Thanks to Viktor’s flightiness, I get to partner up with my honey, here.”

The boy gave Chris an exasperated look.

“Um… you’re welcome…?”

Chris smiled. “You’re sweet. I see why Viktor’s interested in you.”

Yuuri’s heart skipped a beat. “Interested?” he asked, internally smacking himself immediately after.

“He did mention something about you trimming down, though,” said Chris, which caused his boyfriend to punch his shoulder.

“Hey, not so hard!” Chris whined.

His boyfriend whispered something in his ear, and they both snickered.

“Alright, enough chitchat!” A man was standing by the door, hands raised. He clapped twice, and immediately everyone went silent.

He approached Yuuri and reached out his hand. “I am Mr. Vigil, the Aere groupwork overseer.”

Yuuri grasped his hand, tentatively, and shook it. His head spun, and he stared at the silver light gleaming between them.

“Hm… interesting. You’ve adapted quickly.” Mr. Vigil spun away from Yuuri. “What is everyone standing around for? Get into groups of four and start the passing drill!”

A few people groaned good-naturedly, and Yuuri glanced around, chewing on his bottom lip. “Um, Mr. Vigil? I… I don’t really know how to-”

“You can follow me for the time being,” Mr. Vigil said. “Do you have any control over your abilities yet?”

“Maybe a little? I’ve… tried not to use my Magic that much.”

“You didn’t faint when we shook hands-” Yuuri blushed at that. “-so that’s a good sign. Can you summon a breeze?”

“Uh… I don’t think so.”

Mr. Vigil nodded. “Alright. You’ll begin working on your Magic tomorrow, I’m sure. For now, follow me.”

So Yuuri tagged along behind the teacher as he patrolled through the groups of Aere students. Yuuri watched in amazement as a ball of rippling movement passed from hand to hand like it was nothing. Occasionally someone would drop it, and it would make a dramatic _puff_ , nearly knocking someone off their feet. But everyone was smiling and working together.

The drills switched around. Yuuri passed by Chris and his boyfriend (whose name Yuuri still didn’t know), who were flinging thin streams of air back and forth, strings that Yuuri could barely see himself, but they both somehow knew where they were.

Yuuri was enchanted. (Pun intended.)

  

During his study hall, Yuuri pored over the history packets Mr. Karpisek had given him. He was halfway through a third-hand description of a portal to the Realm when his pager buzzed. Yuuri looked up, but the teacher didn’t bat an eye — most of the kids in the room were on their pagers.

It was a message from Headmaster Atlas. _Because you don’t have a weekly assignment for the week, I’d like you to spend your free period and allotted assignment time with your supervisor, Ms. Okukawa. Her room is in the Southern Wing, it will be shown as T-5-N on your school map, and I’ve informed her that you’re coming. I hope your first day was satisfactory._

It was less formal than what Yuuri had expected, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. _My first day went well. I’ll go to her room once my study hall is over. Thanks for contacting me._

Yuuri slipped from the room a few minutes early and was able to make it to the Sphaer-up before most of the crowd. He took the Ramp down to the bottom of the Southern Wing, trying not to bump into anyone with his nose buried in his map of the school. The whole layout was confusing, but when he reached the Center, he found the doors to the northern teacher’s rooms without much trouble.

He came to a hollow area, dimly lit by strips of lights along the wall. If he tipped his head back, he could see the hollow continuing upwards at a shallow angle. A hand-shaped panel pulsed with light. Yuuri put his hand inside the print and tried to summon a small bit of Magic.

Nothing happened.

“Dammit.” He tried again, and still nothing.

He bit down on his lip, hard, and what felt like an electric shock traveled down his arm. The panel crackled and sparked, and a Sphaera soared from the space above. Yuuri took a deep breath and stepped inside.

This Sphaera was different, somehow. Instead of a keypad, there was a small screen. _Welcome back, Sorano Katsuki,_ it displayed in looping script.

Yuuri stared down at it. “Wh…”

He shook his head. Another thing to ask his supervisor, then.

The script disappeared, and a set of numbers appeared on the screen. He pressed the one that read T-5-N, and the Sphaera rose up until stopping, in mid-air, in front of a wooden door. After a moment’s hesitation, Yuuri knocked.

A woman opened the door. She was tall, with brown hair pulled back from her face, and wore a long tan trenchcoat over a practical outfit.

“Hi! Please, come in,” she said, stepping back. “Headmaster Atlas just sent me a message saying you were coming.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Okukawa,” Yuuri said as he took in the room. It was relatively large, and crowded with books. One wall was completely covered by a floor-to-ceiling mirror.

“Please, call me Minako,” she insisted, sitting down behind her desk. Yuuri sat across from her, and she leaned forward on her elbows.

“I’m sure you have lots of questions,” she said. “We’ve got plenty of time, so ask away.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to end on a semi-cliffhanger, but I felt like the chapter was exactly the right length, and I wanted to put out more content before the huge snowstorm tomorrow — there's a chance I might lose power, ugh. 
> 
> I'm leaving Wednesday night for some college trips, and then I'm seeing my dad this coming Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and THEN my family is leaving for Quebec. So, I'll keep working on the next chapter as much as I can, but no guarantees of any new content for the next two weeks or so. I'll do my best!! I love this story as much as you guys do, and I guess all the snow getting dumped on me these days is inspiring for Apricus. I've got the ambiance right outside ^_^
> 
> If there are any questions you'd like Yuuri to ask Minako next chapter, please let me know! I've got some lined up (including things about Sorano!) but I'd love to hear what you guys would like!
> 
> Edit: I checked Yuuri's schedule for inconsistencies and realized I had to rework a lot of the first half of this chapter... I'm really sorry ;^;
> 
> Edit:  
> "Hey, not so hard!" Chris whined.  
> "That's not what you said last night," Alexandre whispered into his ear.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri has a short meeting with Minako.

_ A woman opened the door. She was tall, with brown hair pulled back from her face, and wore a long tan trenchcoat over a practical outfit.  _

_ “Hi! Please, come in,” she said, stepping back. “Headmaster Atlas just sent me a message saying you were coming.” _

_ “Nice to meet you, Ms. Okukawa,” Yuuri said as he took in the room. It was relatively large, and crowded with books. One wall was completely covered by a floor-to-ceiling mirror.  _

_ “Please, call me Minako,” she insisted, sitting down behind her desk. Yuuri sat across from her, and she leaned forward on her elbows. _

_ “I’m sure you have lots of questions,” she said. “We’ve got plenty of time, so ask away.” _

Yuuri exhaled. “Yeah, I have a lot of questions. But there is one big one.”

“I can guess what it is,” Minako said, voice flat.

“My grandmother. Sorano. Who… what happened to her?”

Minako sighed. “Figures. Nobody’s told you?”

“My parents…” Yuuri frowned. “They told me about her, but only a little. That she was a talented Aere.”

“Sorano was… yeah, ‘talented’ is a good word for it.” Minako smiled wryly. “She was a total airhead, pun intended, and she got along well with pretty much everyone. And she’s probably the only person I know who’s almost as powerful as Atlas.”

“Atlas?”

“Yeah, he’s… he’s up there. Ignis at his level of Magic generally become hermits, if you know what I mean. Too much potential for trouble.”

Yuuri was barely following. “Mm hm.”

Minako snorted. “A lot to take in?”

“I’m fine,” said Yuuri. “But you never answered my question.”

“Yeah,” Minako said. “Uh. Well… It’s… complicated.”

“I’m all ears,” Yuuri said, anxiety knotting his stomach.

At last, she leaned forward. “Look, Yuuri… nobody actually knows what happened to her. Three years ago, she was a solo tutor, happy with her work and her regular old self. Then, over the summer, she just… vanished.”

“What, just like that?” Yuuri asked. “Didn’t anyone try to find her?”

“Yuuri,  _ the Assembly of Four _ did a Magic tracking spell. It’s incredibly difficult and is said to be foolproof… nothing. It was like she floated off into space or something.”

“The Assembly of Four?”

Minako waved a hand. “One thing at a time.” She looked uncomfortable, seemingly absorbed in picking nail polish off her pinky nail. “Uh… none of the students said anything?”

“Yuuko mentioned she had her as a solo tutor. Everyone else…” Yuuri paused. “Viktor was dodgy about it. He…”

“Yeah, uh, there’s that,” Minako said. “I… look, I have to say it straight-out. A lot of people think that she… killed herself.”

“But that’s-”

“Crazy, I know. I was… I was pretty close to her,” Minako said. “She was so… vibrant. I can’t imagine her doing that. But her Magic… the most powerful location spell out there couldn’t find her. So… it’s a possibility.”

“Is that why everyone was so weird about her? Because of those rumors?”

“Well, yeah, but also the fact that she married an Earthen.”

“Huh. I… guess that makes sense, since my dad-”

“Doesn’t have the Spark? Or doesn’t exhibit it, anyways.” Minako wrinkled her nose. “Sorano’s marriage to an Earthen was big news for a while, and when your dad was born without Magic, Sorano was basically humiliated. Her name was mud, at least in most Magical communities. So… she started working here.”

“What did she do before she worked at Apricus?”

“No clue. She was pretty hush-hush about it.”

“So now that it turns out that I’m an Elementalist…”

“Big news,” Minako repeated. 

“The Sphaera…” Yuuri recalled. “It called me by her name.”

“Magic among relatives is pretty similar,” Minako said. “I mean, all Magic comes from the same source. At least, that’s what we think. You’re distantly related to everyone of your Elemental type.”

“Weird…”

“Yeah,” Minako said. 

“So inheriting Magic from your grandparent, being a ‘second-gen,’ that’s rare?”

“It’s extremely rare.” She leaned back in her chair. “Not many Elementalists marry Earthens. Sometimes a kid of two Elementalists won’t exhibit any Magic, and then their kid will, but that’s rare as well.”

Yuuri took a deep breath.

“I know this must be really overwhelming,” Minako said. “Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“Hmm…” Yuuri thought back to his tour with Viktor the day before, and his orientation folder. “Oh! Headmaster Atlas mentioned a welcoming ceremony…”

“It’s today,” Minako said, and Yuuri’s eyes widened — he’d forgotten that particular detail from the letter.

“Is… is the whole school…”

“Yeah,” she said. “You have stage fright?”

_ That’s one word for crippling anxiety.  _ “Yeah.”

“You’ll be fine,” she assured him. “It lasts ten minutes, tops. It’s basically a gesture more than anything. The gold scarf is a sign that you’re officially an upperclassman.”

“Even though I-”

“Even though you can’t control your Magic yet,” she interrupted. 

Yuuri chewed on the inside of his cheek. He saw Minako glanc at a clock hanging on the wall and looked at his feet.

“Sorry, I don’t want to rush you but I don’t have a lot of time,” Minako said, standing up. “Do you mind? I have to go to a teacher’s meeting…”

“No, no, I don’t mind.” Yuuri didn’t think he had the capacity to take in any more information, anyways.

“Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow after lunch,” Minako said. “You have partnerwork as well?”

“Um, I think so…”

“Yakov and I will switch off supervising you two until you can control your Magic,” Minako said, and then smiled and winked. “So that’s incentive for you, so you can get some alone time with Viktor.”

Yuuri stiffened.

“What? I follow iM,” she said, grinning unabashedly. “Phichit’s already taken several pictures of you two together.”

“He must really be working the angles,” Yuuri said, “because we don’t talk much.”

“Oh, it’s like that? Well, Viktor can be a bit of a prick, from what I’ve heard from Yuuko. Don’t take anything he says personally,” she advised.

“Even if it’s directed at me specifically?” Yuuri asked, thinking back to lunchtime.

“Especially then.” She held the door open for him, and he realized it was a different one than the one he’d come in by, and opened onto a floor over the Center.

“Oh,” he said.

Minako clapped him on the shoulder. “The maps are confusing. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Now, I suggest you go take a nap, or go to bed early tonight — you look like a zombie.”

“I do?” Yuuri glanced around, but he was halfway out the door and there were no reflective surfaces nearby.

“I’m kidding! Seriously, get some sleep. Tomorrow we’ll be discussing methods of control, so come with a paper and pen!”

Yuuri headed to the Sphaer-up, head spinning with information. He knocked into the walls once or twice.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit short, guys. I can add more to their conversation if you have any questions you'd like Yuuri to ask -- put 'em in the comments section, and I'll address them!
> 
> Headed out VERY early tomorrow, I should get some sleep. Last chapter at least until Saturday! Thank you for reading ^_^


	12. Friday, September 22nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri (narrowly) makes it through Friday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for an anxiety attack, of a sort.

Despite the fact that he’d fallen asleep at 7:30 and slept through half of breakfast, Yuuri was exhausted. Magical History was incredibly confusing — Yuuri received a massive textbook lined with sticky notes from the teacher, Mr. Karpisek, and all of a sudden he had  _ two _ major tests on material he knew  _ nothing _ about, and in only a few week’s time, too…

Advanced Math was a relief, though. Math had never been Yuuri’s strongest suit, but at least nothing changed from what he’d been learning in class before.

Phichit, Yuuko, and Minami practically leapt on top of him at lunchtime, all interrupting each other to ask him the same thing: “Are you okay?!”

“What?” Yuuri wrestled Phichit’s hands from his arm and ducked under the bear hug Yuuko had aimed at him. “I’m fine. Just a little tired, that’s all.”

Minami handed him a tray already laden with a plate of sushi and a delicious-looking pudding cup. “You didn’t come to breakfast! We were worried.”

“I slept late. I grabbed something while everyone was clearing out,” Yuuri explained.

“You’ve looked down since yesterday. Is something wrong?”

Yuuri wanted to cry at how sweet they were being to him — an antisocial, near-complete stranger. “Nothing’s wrong!” he said. “I’m trying to adjust to everything. I’m fine, I swear.”

They backed off, giving him room to sit down. Yuuri did, letting out a sigh.

“I have an appointment with the nurse this afternoon, if it makes you all feel better,” Yuuri said, lifting the plastic lid of the sushi container.

“What for?” Yuuko asked.

“Oh, just to check in about my health,” Yuuri said. “She scheduled a checkup for me every Friday for the next month.”

Yuri, as usual, arrived followed by a dark cloud. Otabek looked tired.

“What are you looking at, pig?” Yuri snarled immediately, glaring at Yuuri.

“I’m wondering what I did to piss you off,” Yuuri shot back. “Breathed too loud? Blinked in your direction?”

“I don’t need your damn sass today, fatso. Shove it.”

“Yuri,” Otabek said.

“Fuck off, Otabek,” Yuri grumbled, but he put his head down on the table and kept quiet.

“Don’t let him bother you,” Phichit whispered. 

“Yeah, we can’t all be little twigs like Mr. Grumpy-Pants down there,” Yuuko said, not bothering to lower her voice.

Despite their jokes, Yuuri’s face was heated. He became hyper-aware of the point where his thighs touched, the part of his stomach barely covered by his sweater, the sweat beginning to accumulate on his hands.

“I’m going to go check out one of those balconies you guys talked about,” Yuuri said abruptly, swinging his legs over the bench and almost knocking into Minami.

“But Yuuri, you don’t even have your coat-”

Yuuri waved a hand. “I’ll just be a minute, I promise. If the wind blows me off, tell my parents I love them,” he joked, and headed for the closest ladder. Yes, he was running away, and no, he didn’t care that most of the people at his table were staring at him. Hell, it felt like most of the people in the  _ cafeteria _ were staring at him.

He was about to open the door to the open area when he heard someone shout his name. He stopped and turned right as Yuuko, Minami, and Phichit caught up to him.

“We get that you want some space,” Minami blurted before Yuuri could say anything, “but we wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Look, Yuuri, Yurio’s a brat,” Phichit said, a little out of breath. “For some reason he doesn’t like you, but you can’t let him get to you.”

“He’s not,” Yuuri said. “I mean… no. He’s not getting to me. I just need some space.”

“We’ll yell at him,” Minami offered.

“Great idea, Minami,” Yuuko deadpanned. “He’ll light your hair on fire.”

Yuuri couldn’t even muster the energy to smile at the joke. He kept his eyes fixed on the ground. “Guys, don’t worry about me. I just wanted to see the view from up here.”

“Want us to go with you?” Phichit asked.

They were being too nice to him. “No, I’m fine. Go finish lunch, I’ll come back down in a few minutes,” he lied. “If I lose track of time, then I’ll see you at dinner.”

Yuuko nodded. “Okay. Come on, guys, let’s let him be.”

“But he’s right, the view is so pretty! I haven’t gotten any pictures in-”

“A week?” Minami said. “Because I think it’s been less-”

Yuuri opened the door and practically ran into the cold.

The sheds were spaced out well, and the classrooms were easily visible. In between two of them sat what looked like a squat, shiny, black rectangle. Yuuri found a wide door and slid it open, stepping into the sheltered space and looking around. 

Chairs lined the walls, and the darkened areas lined a single, huge window overlooking the mountains beyond. Yuuri sank into a chair and pulled his knees up to his chest.

“You’re being stupid,” he muttered to himself.

He’d been an active kid, sure — he’d done ballet, mostly because his mom made him. But when high school had come around, he’d stopped exercising altogether… Yuuri had never loved how he looked, but it had never been that important before. Now…

He shook his head. A headache throbbed at the base of his skull. He shuddered and turned his head to look out the massive window. Despite the confusion of everything happening, and everything he was feeling, Yuuri couldn’t help but feel awe looking out over the snowy mountains. It made him feel small, which was nice, somehow.

The speakers in the balcony chimed, and Yuuri stood, taking one last look at the view before heading to the door.

 

~

 

Minako was helping Yuuri make an itinerary of activities to assist with controlling his Magic. She explained that everyone had one thing that helped them control their abilities, whether it was something relaxing like reading, a sport like basketball, or even simply engaging in a conversation with friends. Minako also advised him to begin meditating for thirty minutes in the mornings, as it was a huge benefit to most Elementalists who were working on control.

“Do you have any hobbies already that you think you’d like to try?” she asked.

“Umm… I did ballet when I was younger?”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? For how long?”

“From when I was about… five. I stopped when I entered high school, about fourteen.”

“I knew I saw dancer’s legs on you!” she squealed. “I’m a ballerina myself, I train professionally over the summer. Let’s make that at least two of your weekly sessions, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Yuuri said.

“Hmm… let’s pencil in… some workouts, a day of self-defense, and…” She tapped her pen against the clipboard. “How do you feel about… ice skating?”

“I’ve never skated before,” Yuuri admitted. 

“Give it a try,” she said. “You’re a dancer, so you’ll have good balance.”

Yuuri didn’t have the heart to tell her that he’d put on at least fifty pounds since the last time he stepped foot in a dance studio.

 

A gruff man supervised his first partnerwork session with Viktor. Yuuri asked immediately to learn to do small, focused pushes of Magic, so he could call Sphaera and open doors without blowing anything up. He left the class with his head and pride throbbing, because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his Magic from becoming too forceful. Either that, or he held back too much and nothing happened. The man, Mr. Feltsman, was annoyed but patient, but Viktor was definitely bored. He barely got to do anything at all, but occasionally tossed suggestions like “close your eyes” and “take a deep breath” Yuuri’s way.

Dinner flew by. Yuuri was ravenous, and he ate far too much, far too fast, before high-tailing it to his room. He tossed his pager onto his bed and braced his arms against his desk, letting his head hang down.

His headache had gotten worse at some point. It felt like a massive vein was throbbing in the back of his head, reaching up behind his ears and squeezing his temples. At least it was dark outside — the lights in the halls had been driving him insane.

He sat down on his bed and groaned, pain flaring red in his vision. Yuuri ground the heels of his palms into his eye sockets and bit his lip. 

This wasn’t dehydration, he’d been drinking enough water… His stomach was churning, and a surge of nausea momentarily overwhelmed the pain. He must have eaten too much — the food had tasted so good at dinner, and he hadn’t paid attention…

Yuuri laid back, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. If he could fall asleep, he wouldn’t feel the pain in his head, and he wouldn’t-

He swallowed, nausea swirling in his gut, and was horrified to realize that he was going to throw up. Somehow, mercifully, the hallway was empty, and Yuuri staggered to the bathroom, barely making it to a stall in time. His knees slammed into the tile, and he struggled to breathe through his nose as his stomach rebelled.

A minute passed. He rocked back on his heels and clutched at his upper arms, then at his stomach, fingers digging into the skin there as cramps wracked his body. 

Yuuri registered the fact that he was crying. Silent tears streamed down his face. His mouth tasted horrible, like acid and inferiority. Breathing was a struggle… something was wrong. Was he choking? Were his lungs closing up?

He wished his mother was there. Or Mari — she was used to him. But they were far away… too far away to help.

By some miracle, Yuuri was able to get to his feet. He flushed the toilet and headed for the hall, but didn’t make it far before his left knee twisted the wrong way. He tripped, grabbing onto the edges of a sink.

He looked in the mirror. His reflection looked disgusting, like some sort of zombie. His eyes were flat-looking, his face felt stiff, and tears were clearly visible on his cheeks. His glasses did a good job of magnifying the sunkenness of his eyes.

How on earth could he feel this tired after only  _ two days  _ of class?

With a shaking hand, he took his pager from his back pocket. He tore his gaze from his awful reflection and scrolled through the pre-programmed numbers, selecting the nurse’s.

She picked up immediately. “Katsuki!” she barked. “Aren’t you supposed to be in my room right now?”

“I, uh…” He coughed, and acid stung the back of his throat. “There’s been a… um.”

“What happened?” Papers shuffled in the background.

“I threw up,” said Yuuri. “I have a… a headache. And my stomach…”

“Is it cramping? Does it feel numb, or almost buzzing?”

“Y… yeah…” Yuuri’s hands were shaking. He almost dropped the pager.

“Yuuri,” she said, voice intense. “I need you to take a deep breath, okay? Breathe with me. Breathe in, while counting to six in your head, and then breathe out, nice and slow…”

He took a deep, shuddering breath. Another cramp assaulted his body, and he whimpered.

“I’m on my way. Keep breathing, can you do that for me?” Her voice became slightly muffled. “Minako, come with me right now! I don’t know if I can hold him!”

Hold him? 

“Wh… what…”

“Keep breathing,” she ordered, but Yuuri barely heard her. Pain ripped through his body, reaching down his legs and up his spine. He dropped the pager and dry-heaved, and everything blurred as his glasses flew off. 

He dropped to his knees. A powerful shiver shot through him, and something ripped in his chest, and something came rushing out… blood? Water? Air? 

Yuuri’s mind couldn’t comprehend his surroundings, but he knew that it was cold, and people were screaming. His body was frozen, now, and something was rushing out of him, something he couldn’t control but only feel leave his body.

A new, piercing pain lit up his arm. He looked down and saw that he had dug his fingernails into his forearm, hard enough to break skin.

People were all around him, shouting things. He flinched, and a new wave of  _ something _ pushed from his body. 

“Yuuri,” said a voice close to his ear. “Close it off. You know how to do this. You opened yourself, now close yourself.”

Open? Close? 

“You are a fountain,” the voice said. “Stop the water from flowing.”

He stopped, and it went dark. Voices continued to ring out all around him. 

_ Magic, _ he realized belatedly. His body had overflowed with Magic.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in a huge way!!! Writing the last scene was super intense for me, and I pretty much built on my own experiences with anxiety for this. It was tricky to write, though, so I hope I pulled it off alright ;^; This chapter is a bit longer, but definitely focuses more on Yuuri's struggles with himself than Yuuri's struggles with Viktor... I'll try and incorporate a bit more Viktuuri in future chaps.
> 
> Headed to Quebec tomorrow morning! Hopefully I'll have time to work on the chapters late at night, but I still have a crapton of homework to do, so I can't promise any new material for the next short while. Thanks for reading <3 <3


	13. Saturday, September 23rd

“We knew this could happen. He’s been exposed to so much Magic over such a short period of time, I’m surprised he’s not in a coma.”

“Small blessings,” came the sour voice of the nurse.

“Does he need more time to recover?” a third voice asked. “We could put the Magical component of his studies on hold.”

“The last thing Katsuki needs right now is to be coddled,” a fourth chimed in.

“I agree,” said the first. “He might feel alienated. We should at least ask his opinion before making any decisions. If he feels this is all too much, he will tell us, and we can adjust-”

“Well, he’s slept through the night, and based on my estimates of his sleep cycles he should wake up soon,” the nurse interrupted. “All of you, take it to the hall. And let his friends know that he’ll be fine, and I’ll let them in if he’s in good condition.”

A door clicked shut, and Yuuri struggled to open his eyes. Brilliant light stabbed at them. He moaned, lifting his arm to block his vision.

“Hello again.” The nurse peered down at him. “How do you feel?”

“Not great,” he croaked, blinking furiously.

“I can imagine,” she said. “Can you sit up?”

The moment he tensed his stomach muscles, his entire body protested. Barely choking back a cry of pain, he shook his head.

She lifted and positioned him against a stack of pillows with gentle hands. “Does your stomach hurt?”

“Like I did a week’s worth of ab workouts,” he quipped, grimacing.

“The numbing agent should kick in soon.” She handed him a glass of water. “Do you know what happened?”

“I can guess,” he said softly, staring down at the rippling surface.

“You had an outburst,” she explained. “Completely normal. I called several teachers to come and help me contain your Magic, but you still blew a sizeable bit of the bathroom apart.” She was smiling. “Sorano’s Magic runs strong in your blood.”

He couldn’t manage a smile in return. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You must be overwhelmed by all the Magic, not to mention the general stress that moving to a new place brings. Your immune system is barely functioning.”

“Do I need to stop learning Magic?” He looked up at her blurred face, nervous.

She sat down next to his cot. “That is entirely up to you. On one hand, more time to rest up might be good for you, but on the other, learning to control your Magic is extremely important…”

“I want to keep going,” Yuuri said immediately. “I have to learn to control it.”

“I thought you’d say that.” She sighed. “I don’t think it’s the best idea, but it’s up to you. I’m sure your instructors will adjust to accommodate you, so you should be able to continue working on your abilities without pushing yourself too far.”

Yuuri nodded, and was relieved to notice that his head didn’t hurt as much.

“Atlas pushed the welcoming ceremony to next week,” she added.

“Oh, that was supposed to be this afternoon, wasn’t it?” He bit his lip. “I’m sorry…”

“Stop apologizing,” she insisted. “Outbursts are never the Elementalist’s fault, got it? Don’t blame yourself.”

“Okay,” he said, right as the door was thrown open.

Heading the charge was Phichit, Georgi, and Guang-Hong, who threw themselves onto the cot: Phichit by Yuuri’s side, Georgi by his head, and Guang-Hong nearly on top of his legs. Yuuri waved his hands as they poked at him.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing?” He grabbed Georgi’s wrist as he pressed two fingers into the side of his neck.

“How come you didn’t tell us you weren’t feeling well?” Phichit demanded, putting both hands on top of Yuuri’s chest. “We’re in training, we can help you!”

“His immune system is really crappy,” Guang-Hong informed Phichit, hands wrapped around Yuuri’s ankles.

“How can you-”

“We’re Terra, remember?” Georgi said, getting around Yuuri’s hands. “Hm, I can’t feel a pulse…”

Otabek appeared from the blur of bodies and adjusted Georgi’s fingers, making Yuuri jump. “You missed the pulse point.”

“Oh. Well, your pulse is accelerated,” Georgi said.

“Probably because you’re all crowding him,” Mila said, whisking Yuuri’s glass from his hands. “How do you feel, Yuuri?”

“Crowded,” he replied, squinting to spot her red hair. He felt around on the mattress and was relieved to find his glasses, which helped clear up the blurriness. The nurse had, for some reason, vanished in Yuuri’s hour of need.

“Good job,” Yuri said, coming up behind Otabek, who was trying to stop Guang-Hong from taking off Yuuri’s socks. “You blew a hole in the wing.”

“I… _what?”_

“Okay, Yurio, get your facts straight,” Emil said. “It was mostly the bathroom, and the hole was less than five feet wide.”

“Five _feet?!”_

“Viktor almost fainted when we heard the explosion,” Chris added, smirking.

Viktor glowered at him from behind a curtain of silver hair. “I was caught off guard! I barely even jumped.”

“He screamed,” Chris informed Yuuri, and Viktor huffed and flipped his bangs.

Yuuri studied the backs of his hands. His shirt had been trimmed on both arms, and he was shocked to see a set of half-moon-shaped imprints deep in the skin near his wrist. Brushing over them, he felt small scabs.

“What happened?” Minami asked, looking over Yuuko’s shoulder at the odd injury.

“It was an accident” was all Yuuri could think to say, turning his arm over.

He flinched violently as Phichit pressed a hand against his side. Jolting Guang-Hong off of him, Yuuri pulled his legs close to his body and dipped his head.

“What? What happened?” JJ whispered.

“He’s overwhelmed?” Phichit offered. “Come on, guys, we’re supposed to be in class.”

“Can’t I just skip?” Mickey said.

“You’re behind in History as it is,” Emil said, and Yuuri watched from behind his hair as most of the group filed from the room. Yuuko touched his arm before she left, and Minami shot him a worried look before following.

“Yuuri?”

“I’m okay, Phichit,” Yuuri lied. “You can go to class if you have to.”

The nurse came back into the room. “Mr. Chulanont! I believe your solo instructor is standing in the hall.”

Phichit gulped. “Whoops. Bye, Yuuri, see you later!”

“Mr. Plisetsky?” said the nurse.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Yuri said. He made a vaguely violent gesture in Yuuri’s general direction. “Get better quick, pig, so I can kick your ass in sparring.”

The nurse tsked. “I don’t recommend sparring for a few months.”

“Yeah, well, whatever.”

Yuri took his leave, and Yuuri looked up, thinking everyone was gone. He paled when he realized Viktor was standing only a few feet away.

“Hi,” he said intelligently.

“Hi.” A few strands of hair fell in front of Viktor’s eyes as he shifted. “Did Phichit hurt you?”

“Oh, you saw that? It’s nothing, really…”

“Yuuri, I’m your partner. If you’re hurt, please tell me.”

Yuuri’s face heated at the reminder. They were partners, even with Viktor’s… standoffishness.

The nurse took over. “When he had his outburst at that Earthen school, a student threw a chair at him. He was lucky not to break anything or sustain internal injuries, but he has extensive bruising across his stomach and chest.”

Viktor’s lips parted, and his eyebrows drew together. “Yuuri, why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not a big deal,” he said.

“When you fell the other day, did you hurt yourself?”

The nurse whirled on him, eyes flaming. “You fell?”

“I’m fine! I mean, it hurt a little, but the bruises aren’t any worse-”

“If you’re going to continue taking classes, I want you applying this salve-” She pressed a circular container into his hand, face still furious but tone level. “-at least twice a day. It’s numbing and it promotes healing.” She turned to Viktor. “If he can’t reach the areas near his back, I want you to apply it for him.”

Yuuri’s face reddened. “I’ll be fine,” he forced out.

“Sure, I’ll do it, no problem,” Viktor said, smiling like that was a totally normal thing to ask of someone.

“I’ll be fine,” he repeated. The idea of being shirtless in front of Viktor was-

“Are you being shy?” Viktor asked, eyes twinkling. “There’s no point in that, you know. The public bath outside the Southern Wing is divine, and I’d hate for you to miss out on it because of embarrassment.”

The idea of being _completely naked_ in front of Viktor was even worse. With the shape he was in now, he wouldn’t want to be naked in front of _anybody._

The nurse shooed Viktor out of the room, and Yuuri tried to cool his face by fanning air across it.

“Are you feeling faint?”

“No…”

She smirked. “I see. Well, I’d like you to stay a little longer, so we can add some things to your file. I won’t keep you past lunch… Is that alright?”

To Yuuri’s shock, he realized that it was, indeed, not far from lunchtime. “That’s fine.”

She sat down and produced a folder and a pen. “I think it’s safe to say that I can add anxiety to your profile. It’s completely private, by the way. No student can see the file of another student.”

Yuuri nodded. “It’s fine.”

“Do you take medication?”

“No. There’s medication out there that could stop the attacks, but…” Yuuri flexed his fingers. “My parents were against it, and so am I. The side effects were… a bit disturbing.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard about Earthen ‘medication,’” she said, pursing her lips. “Changes your brain chemistry. Nasty stuff.”

“Yeah.”

“Any history of illness in your family? Any specific cancers, or tendency towards issues with the back, the knees, anything like that.”

“I don’t think so,” Yuuri said. “Uhm… my mom and I have always had some trouble losing weight…”

“Well, your BMI is healthy for your age, but I’ll make a note…” She scribbled something in his file. “Is weight an issue with you? I’m open to developing meal plans with any student who desires to become more fit.”

Yuuri nodded, slowly, warming to the idea.

“Yes, I think I’d like that.”

 

He left the nurse’s office with a small binder full of leaflets and tips on choosing healthier food. There was barely enough time to drop it in his room and make it to the cafeteria.

“There you are!” Yuuko scooched sideways to make room for him on the bench. “We were worried you were going to miss lunch. Saturday is pizza day!”

“I think I’ll skip it this week,” Yuuri said. “How was your morning?”

“Great!” Phichit said, leaning across the table and brandishing his pager. “I hit 500 likes on my picture of you and Viktor!”

“Woah!” Minami said.

Yuuri gaped. _“What?”_

“Yeah, the whole of Apricus ships it now. I’ll let you know when people start posting fanfiction.”

“Start posting- You do realize that Viktor and I have known each other for all of two days?”

“Two and a half,” Yuuko said.

“You’re not helping!”

“I’m helping set you two up,” she replied.

“Be realistic,” Yuuri said in a flat voice, opening his water bottle. “Viktor isn’t interested in me. I’m just another guy.”

“No way, you’re not _just_ another guy. You’re-”

“A complete stranger to him,” Yuuri said. “So please stop trying to set us up.”

“Spoilsport,” Phichit pouted.

“Sorry, Yuuri, it’s too late,” Yuuko said, pointing her fork in his direction. “This ship has sailed. We can’t bring it back to port.”

“What are you _talking_ about…”

Phichit and Yuuko cackled and high-fived, and Viktor looked down the table. Yuuri buried his face in his arms, not sure whether to smile or groan.

“Let’s go to the library during free time this afternoon,” Minami said. “We can show Yuuri the globe.”

“Ooh, sounds fun!” Yuuko clapped her hands. “Remember the time that Leo brought his stereo and almost knocked it over with the bass?”

“What’s the globe?” Yuuri asked.

“You’ll see,” Phichit said.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the semi-cliffhanger! I mean... I met the deadline I set for myself... barely. 
> 
> I've come to the realization that despite all my efforts, this story is moving along like Harry Potter did: worldbuilding, worldbuilding, hints of plot, and then an earthshaking climax at the end. I'm sorry there's not more plot here but a huge part of this story is simply creating this world and introducing Yuuri (and the readers!) to all its beauty and pain.
> 
> Sorry I'm not putting out more chapters -- I'm so stressed out right now, and now that break is over I'm going to have less time than ever to write ;-; Love to all who have commented and supported my stories!!!
> 
> Edit: Not sure that many people will see this but I wanted to say that I'm having a super, SUPER stressful week and I don't know how long it'll take me to finish the next chapter... honestly, I've got many ideas for scenes and things like that, but my architectural plans are going nowhere but down, and I'm stuck on the current scene... I'll do my best to keep grinding but no promises on a quick update...


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri visits the library and receives several unexpected shocks.

It was a relief to learn that Magical science, at least when it came to labs, didn’t involve directly using Magic. The class did experiments on different strengths of Terran Magic on the growth of pea plants. Yuuri was fascinated to watch the plants grow, but he did nearly swoon when somebody knocked a glass of Magic-infused water onto his lap. (It really was a swoon. The teacher had to catch him and everything.)

Yuuri dragged his feet going to his second session of partnerwork. He knew he had to learn to control his Magic, and it was childish to delay, but he didn’t want to keep making a fool of himself in front of Viktor.

 _At least Mr. Feltsman will be there,_ he assured himself, stepping into an empty classroom. He stopped in the doorway, barely having time to look around before somebody ran into his back.

“Oof! Sorry, Yuuri.” Viktor slid past him. “Are you ready to start?”

“What about Yakov?” Yuuri managed through his shock.

Viktor waved his hand. “I told him we’d be fine without him. Besides, working one-on-one without him is much less distracting.”

“I mean, he’s a little… forceful,” Yuuri admitted. “But I’m, um, not so good with control yet. Shouldn’t we at least be in a more sheltered area…?”

“The second your control slips, five teachers will run in and contain your Magic. Don’t worry about it.”

Yuuri sat on the edge of a desk and picked at his fingernails as Viktor crossed to a window, checking his pager.

“Did I-”

Viktor turned around when Yuuri stopped mid-sentence. “Did you what?”

“Did I… really scare you?”

Folding his arms, Viktor looked away and jutted one hip out. “No,” he said, not making an effort hide the poutiness in his voice.

“Sorry. I kind of scared myself, too.”

“Aw, Yuuri!” And then Viktor was standing in front of him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Yuuri stiffened, but Viktor gave no indication of having noticed.

“I understand. Pretty much everyone here’s had a bad outburst. It must be worse for you, since you haven’t been around Magic that long.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said, heart hammering. Viktor could probably feel it through the layers of both of their clothing. “I’ll be okay.”

“Of course you will. But we’ll take it easy today, okay?” Viktor backed up a few inches and blinked at Yuuri, seeming to take in his blushing face.

Yuuri reached up and put his hands on Viktor’s shoulders, gently pushing him away. “Sounds good. Where should I start?”

 

(“The most important thing to remember,” Viktor said, “is that you have to believe the Magic will work for you. Even if you forget everything else, remember that if you believe it, it will happen.”

Yuuri must have given him an odd look, because Viktor sighed. “I know it sounds weird, but trust me, okay?”

“Okay,” Yuuri said, because if he was good at anything, it was blind faith.)

 

Phichit left a message on Yuuri’s pager. _Come to the library, it’s in a labeled room off the cafeteria! :3_

Yuuri found the door without much difficulty, noting there were two other doors labeled RR1 and RR2. He’d have to ask-

All thoughts flew from Yuuri’s head when he stepped inside the library.

The room had several levels to it, and all of the walls but one were completely covered by shelves of books. A huge set of windows took up the remaining wall, giving a stunning view of the mountains and the sun sinking low in the sky. Yuuri walked over to the carved balcony and looked down to see several rows of tables and chairs, and a large desk covered in papers for the librarian.

Phichit, Yuuko, Minami, Chris, and the boy from the Aere class were all sitting together at a table, books open. Yuuko waved, but Yuuri’s eyes had moved away from them to fix on another object: a massive sphere covered in glimmering light, right in the middle of the room.

Almost in a daze, he took the stairs down to the lower level and walked over to the object. He realized it was a single, colossal globe as he drew near, and he rested his hand on its smooth surface. When he pulled back, a faint silver handprint faded away.

“Told you it’d be the first thing he’d go to,” said Yuuko from behind him.

“So, Yuuri, what do you think?” Phichit asked.

“Wow,” Yuuri said.

“Yeah, wow is right.” Minami nudged his shoulder. “Pretty cool, huh? If you like this, can’t wait to see what you think of the observatory.”

“Observatory? Like with the big telescope?”

Chris chucked. “In a way.”

“We’ll show you later,” Yuuko promised.

Someone pulled up a chair for him, and he sat at the table with everyone else.

“What are you guys doing?” Yuuri asked.

Phichit made a gagging noise. “Essay for English.”

“Studying for a History test,” said Minami.

“We’re all doing different things,” said the mystery man.

“I’m sorry, but I never caught your name,” Yuuri said, turning to him.

“Oh, right, you guys weren’t there at lunch when we introduced Yuuri to everyone,” Yuuko recalled. “This is Alexandre, Chris’-”

“He’s my boyfriend,” Chris said.

“Um, I figured,” Yuuri said.

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

Yuuri’s eyes widened. “No, no, that’s not what I meant at all! I noticed how close you two were in class, and that you worked well together, and, uhm.” He stopped rambling and looked down at the table.

“You don’t have to prove anything to us,” Phichit said, and Yuuri was relieved to hear kindness in his tone. “Chris was just asking because there are a lot of Earthens who are homophobic.”

“Xenophobic,” Chris added.

“But I’m not an Earthen,” Yuuri said.

“Mm, but you grew up with them.” Chris rested his elbows on top of his textbook. “I’m not trying to be a jerk. I wanted you to know where I’m coming from.”

Yuuri nodded. “I understand.”

“Aw, Chris, you made him sad!” Phichit leaned across the table and grabbed Yuuri’s arm, pulling him close to his side. “Selfie!” he cheered, snapping a few photos with his camera.

Suddenly, the librarian appeared at the edge of their table, eyes practically blazing. (There was a literal flame on the top of her head.) _“Mister_ Chulanont.”

Phichit’s face went white. “Hi, Ms. Baranovskaya,” he said.

“Please attempt to refrain from shouting in the library,” she ground out.

“Yes, ma’am…”

She clacked back to her desk, and Yuuri leaned over to Yuuko. “Who’s that?”

“Ms. Baranovskaya,” she whispered. “She’s also a solo tutor. Yurio says she’s a nightmare. Well, he doesn’t say she’s a nightmare… he uses more colorful words.”

“I can imagine.” Yuuri glanced over to the librarian’s desk. “She’s kind of scary.”

Chris smirked at him. “You really are sweet, you know that?”

“Um… thank you?”

"Have you guys seen the Headmaster lately?" Phichit flipped to a fresh page in his notebook and fiddled with his pencil. "I usually see him out and about, but he's been gone most of this week."

"I noticed that, too," Minami said. "Maybe he's busy?"

"He's been making lots of trips in and out of the school," said Chris. "Maybe we're getting more students."

Phichit shrugged. "Maybe."

“Are you excited for the Summit games tonight?” Minami interjected.

“Well, Viktor told me last period that he’d signed Yuuri up to be on his four-man team,” Yuuko said.

Yuuri blanched. “What?!”

Ms. Baranovskaya’s head whipped to the side, and the point between Yuuri’s eyes physically _burned._ He yelped and clapped his hand to his forehead.

“What the heck is a four-man team?” Yuuri whispered, eyes watering.

“Oh, for the Summit games. It’s fun, you’ll like it!” Phichit said.

“Does it involve Magic?” Yuuri asked, dreading the answer.

 

It did, in fact, involve Magic, a realization that led Yuuri to yell at Viktor in front of the entire cafeteria at dinner.

_“I can’t believe you signed me up for a Magical race without telling me first!”_

Viktor looked shell-shocked, and more than a little guilty. “I assumed you’d be okay with it?”

“Viktor, I can’t even-” Yuuri swept one hand out, and a mild breeze ruffled Georgi’s hair. “You know I can’t-” He noticed the vast majority of the student body staring at him, and threw himself onto the bench next to Viktor. “I can’t _believe_ you.”

“Um… sorry.” Viktor couldn’t seem to meet Yuuri’s eyes. “It’s just, I mean, uh. I thought it might help with your confidence…?”

Yuuri groaned and put his head down on the table.

“Cheer up, Yuuri,” Yuuko said from down the table. “You guys have great odds, even if you can’t use Magic.”

“Thanks, that makes me feel so much better,” he muttered, but lifted his head. “What are the rules for this Summit thing?”

“Well, we all get notifications on our pagers a day in advance,” Viktor said. “Didn’t you get anything?”

“I left mine in my room,” Yuuri admitted. “I haven’t checked it since yesterday.”

“Ah, that explains everything, then. Well, basically we hold the games once a month, on the third Saturday.”

Yuuri remembered the letter from the Headmaster. “What about the teams?”

“Each team is made up of an Aere, an Unda, a Terra, and an Ignis.”

“What are the rules?”

Viktor twirled his pasta around the tines of his fork. “Three teams go up at a time, and try and get the flag at the peak of the Summit. If you make it to the ground without one of the other teams stealing it, you get two points.”

Still confused, Yuuri looked up at the glass dome. “Wait. Is the Summit, like, right in the center?”

“If you’re wondering why you can’t see it,” Viktor said, “it’s because there’s a hollow area in the center. There’s some kind of thing you activate and it closes up at the top, but they keep it open outside of the games and emergencies.”

Yuuri huffed. “I hope you realize I’m going to be a drain on the team.”

“Oh, don’t talk like that! Yurio’s ready to rip your head off as it is, don’t give him a legitimate reason.”

“Wait, what?”

“Otabek and Yurio are the Terra and Ignis of our team,” Viktor said. “Didn’t I tell you?”

It took all of Yuuri’s self-control not to explode.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter at last! Only a 5-day wait this time. I'm honestly having some issues with this fic right now... of course, I'm going to continue it, but I just don't like some of the content I'm putting out. Maybe I'm being paranoid and stressed out, but I feel off my game. Hopefully I'll get back on it. In it. You know. (You probably don't. I'm confusing myself now. Jinkies.)
> 
> Up next is the Summit games, dudes! It's like capture the flag, but with Magic and on a synthetic, multi-level mountain. Yeet.
> 
> I'm so surprised to have hit over 5,000 views already!! A huge, snowy 'merci' to everyone reading, kudos-ing, and commenting. I love you all!
> 
> Edit: dialogue added.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The September Summit games commence!

His walls of the room seemed to be closing in on him. Yuuri paced back and forth, biting his nails and checking the clock; his team wasn’t scheduled to start until 8:15. He’d gone to his room to practice, but discovered he was too wound up and worried about losing control.

7:58. He reapplied the salve the nurse had given him, trying not to press down on the tenderest areas. His hands were shaking.

8:03. He kept his back to the mirror, staring out at the mountains. It was snowing, big flakes drifting slowly past his window. Watching them was therapeutic, to a point.

At 8:05, he gave up and headed towards the Core. When he tried to call a Sphaera, he used too much Magic and fried the panel, so he ran up eleven flights of stairs.

As it turned out, Viktor had left the Summit completely out of his tour, which was an accomplishment, considering how tall it was. The only reason Yuuri hadn’t noticed it was because of the blowing snow. The classrooms for groupwork and partnerwork were all built around it.

It wasn’t hard to find one of the several doors leading to the innermost area — the noise coming from in there was deafening. Yuuri took a deep breath and slipped in.

A huge mass of students writhed at the base of a mechanized mountain. Yuuri stared, wide-eyed, at the carved metal. The Summit had three clear levels to it, and stretched at least half a mile high. People were leaping down the sides, from platform to platform, as mechanized obstacles whirled to block them. Yuuri noticed a piece of shining gold fabric clutched in the hand of one girl as she took a final jump and landed somewhere in the crowd. Everyone around him cheered.

“Excuse me, sorry, excuse me,” he said, pushing through the crowd.

Mila appeared to his right. “Hurry, they’re about to start!” She pointed northwest and gave him a shove, and Yuuri went as quickly as he could. The crowd thinned, and he saw Viktor by the base of the Summit, arms folded and face anxious.

“Viktor!” he called, regretting it immediately.

Viktor spotted him. “Yuuri! Thank god.”

“Thought you’d chickened out,” Yuri said from where he was leaning against the metal.

“Team three has won round four!” someone called through a megaphone, and the crowd whooped their approval. “All competitors participating in round five, please find your team and take your marks!”

“Try to stick close to me,” Viktor said. “If you can’t keep up, stop halfway up and wait for us. The Summit isn’t really designed to be able to stand still on, but I’m sure you can do it. Oh, and be careful, sometimes the platforms can shift.”

“And don’t fall off, or we’ll get disqualified,” Yuri said.

“And you could hurt yourself,” Otabek added, almost too quietly for Yuuri to hear.

“Eh, he’ll be fine. He can survive a fifty foot fall, can’t you, pig?”

“Ignore him,” Viktor advised. “It works for me.”

“I heard that, old man!”

“I am four years older than you.”

“Old. Man.”

“Yura,” Otabek said.

Yuuri watched Otabek touch Yuri’s arm, and some of the fire faded from Yuri’s eyes. “Fine, Beka, you win this time.”

“He always wins this time,” Viktor said to Yuuri.

“Shut your trap, geezer!”

Viktor was about to reply when the person with the megaphone called out: “Five! Four!”

“Three! Two!” the students yelled.

“One… GO!”

And just like that, Yuuri was swept off his feet. 

When his brain began processing things again, he realized that Viktor had seized him by the wrist and was towing him up the side of the Summit.

Yuuri tried to find places to put his legs, and was happy to find that it wasn’t too difficult to keep up with Viktor. They leaped from platform to platform, Viktor pulling him from side to side as bars swung and platforms rotated, and Yuuri found a rhythm with ease. 

Viktor glanced back at him and yelled: “We’re coming up on the first level! Be ready!”

Before Yuuri could ask what Viktor meant, they were climbing a ladder up a nearly vertical incline, and Viktor released his wrist. Yuuri scrambled up to a flat area that seemed to extend about ten feet out from the Summit, and reached around the structure and out of sight. 

“Level one,” came a mechanized voice.

“What is this?!” Yuuri asked, looking frantically from side to side.

“Three levels. Challenge on each one.” Yuri snarled as a clear rectangle shot from the side of the Summit. “Great, holograms. I hate these things.”

“Come on!” Viktor took Yuuri’s hand, lifted his other, and suddenly they were airborne. Yuuri gasped at the sensation, and they landed on a higher platform, Viktor nearly slipping on the water on his shoes.

“We’ll fight them at the second level,” Viktor said. 

The climb became steeper. By the second level, Yuuri’s legs were burning.

Otabek glanced down the incline. “They’re nearly here.”

“Viktor, you and piggy stay behind,” Yuri said. 

“Hey, what? No fair!” Viktor crossed his arms. “You went last t-”

“Bye, we’ll be back with the flag!” Yuri grabbed Otabek’s upper arm and hauled him up to a higher platform.

“Now what do we do?” Yuuri asked, chewing on his thumbnail.

“We fight as many of those holograms as we can,” Viktor said, reaching to his waist. Yuuri watched as he lifted his shirt to reveal two water bottles strapped to his belt, along with a centimeter of pale skin. 

Yuuri tore his eyes away before Viktor noticed. “How do I fight them?”

“If you think you can use Magic, go ahead.” Viktor rolled his shoulders and bounced on the balls of his feet. “If not, just try punching them. Go for the chest or head.”

A group of about twenty silvery figures climbed onto the second level. Yuuri was fascinated to see they were, in fact, holograms: different from those he’d seen in school, a little glitchier, but still humanoid.

And, he realized as one kicked him in the ribs, they had substance.

He nearly collapsed right then and there, but the thought of looking ridiculously weak in front of Viktor was even worse than the searing pain. Yuuri gritted his teeth and lashed out, punching the hologram in the face. 

It took about five minutes for Viktor and Yuuri to get all of the holograms. Yuuri was able to watch a little when Viktor fought, using water to form small pellets that tore apart the holograms like they were fog. At one point he used all the water he had to form a sword, and cut four in half at once. He turned to Yuuri afterwards, grinning, so Yuuri knew he was showing off on purpose.

“You did well,” Viktor said, forming cups with his hands and directing the water back into the bottles. “Do you take self defense classes?”

“I used to, a little. My mom insisted.” Yuuri glanced down at his arms, which were covered in small, gridlike scratches. “I’m a little rusty.”

“No, no, you looked great! Teach me some of those moves sometime?”

Yuuri bit his lip, wondering if the implication in Viktor’s voice was only his imagination, but before he could say a word, someone above them shrieked. 

“Incoming!” Yuri yelled, grinning madly, hair and fire streaming behind him. Otabek was right behind him, clutching the golden flag.

“Get ready, it’s harder to get down than up,” Viktor said, taking Yuuri’s hand again. Yuuri winced as Viktor’s fingers brushed over his bruised knuckles, following him over to the edge and leaping after him.

Viktor was right: it was much more difficult going down the Summit than up. Obstacles popped up in their path more often and more quickly, and Yuuri was clipped by metal bars on more than one occasion. At one point, the platform Viktor touched down on retracted in an instant, and Yuuri had to stop and grab Viktor’s arm with both hands so he didn’t fall. 

Another team appeared to their right, and the flag was pushed into Viktor’s hands. Somebody slammed into Yuuri, almost knocking him into the open air, and he was forced away from Viktor.

Adrenaline poured through his veins. He stopped, twenty feet below Viktor as he fought off two students, holding the flag over his head. Blue eyes locked onto brown, and Viktor flung the flag away from himself. Yuuri stretched out his hand-

-and the flag flew through the air to where he waited. The students gaped, and as Yuuri took the last few jumps to the ground he heard Viktor let out a jubilant whoop.

Landing at the base of the Summit, Yuuri was mobbed by students, congratulating him. He caught only bits of conversation: “-new? But he’s-” “Wow, they’re great! I-” “-knew it, Nikiforov is-”

“Look out below!”

A circle formed around Yuuri as people stepped back, and Viktor landed neatly by Yuuri’s side. Yuri and Otabek followed, Yuri scowling and Otabek smiling.

“Yuuri! We did it!” Viktor threw his arms around Yuuri, crushing the golden flag between them.

“Yeah, good job or whatever,” Yuri muttered. “I could’ve handled it.”

Otabek said something to him, still smiling, and Yuri shoved his shoulder. “Quit it.”

“Team one has won round five!” came the megaphone voice. “All competitors participating in the final round, please find your team and take your marks!”

“We should move,” Viktor said.

“Gimme that.” Yuri pulled the flag out from between Viktor and Yuuri and gave it to an officiator, who took it away.

“They send it back to the top through a chute,” Viktor said to Yuuri, who was feeling dizzier by the second. 

“Hmh,” Yuuri said, legs beginning to give out. “I think I- need to-”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Viktor exclaimed. “You must be exhausted. I’ll take you back to your room, okay?”

Yuuri didn’t reply. He was focusing all his energy on not going completely boneless in Viktor’s arms. 

The walk back to the room was a blur. Yuuri blinked, and he was standing at the door of his room. Viktor stood behind him as he opened it, stumbling and falling through the doorway.

“Sorry,” he whispered as Viktor lifted him onto his bed.

“Why are you apologizing? You did magnificently.” Viktor removed his glasses and set them on his bedside table. “Tomorrow is Sunday, so you can sleep late. Would you like me to bring you breakfast?”

“If… you wouldn’t mind…” Yuuri said, consciousness fading.

“I’ll let everyone know you’re sleeping.” Viktor stepped back, an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at Yuuri. A small smile graced his features.

“See you tomorrow,” he said, closing Yuuri’s door behind him.

_ That’s the last time I let Viktor see me so weak,  _ Yuuri promised himself as sleep claimed him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm doing a lot better this week writing-wise. Thanks to everybody who commented last chapter, your kindness means so much to me <3 <3  
> Oh, and I've added an extra chapter onto my HTS: Excerpts work! It's part of Chapter 12, from an alternate point of view. It was fun to write, and I wrote and edited it all in one sitting. I'd adore some feedback ^-^  
> Headed out tomorrow afternoon on a school trip to Boston, but I'm bringing my laptop, so hopefully I'll be able to find a little time to write.


	16. Thursday, September 28th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes, and Yuuri gets mail.

When Yuuri opened his eyes, Yuri, Phichit, and Yuuko were sitting at the foot of his bed.

“How did you get in here?” Yuuri asked.

“Good morning to you, too,” Yuri snapped.

“You left the door open,” Yuuko said. “Breakfast is almost over, so we brought breakfast.”

Yuuri rolled over and picked an apple from the tray. “What time is it?”

“Ten thirty.” Phichit was hanging off the edge of Yuuri’s desk, pager two inches from his face. “I just told Viktor you’re awake.”

“Ugh, why…?” Yuuri pulled his pillow over his head.

“Because he’s worried about you, duh,” Phichit said. “Oh, and I might have sent him a few pictures of you sleeping.”

Yuuri stared at Phichit.

“Don’t worry! I made sure you looked cute and not like a gremlin.”

Yuuri kept staring.

“You’re welcome?”

“…please don’t send people pictures of me sleeping.”

Yuri snorted. “Viktor asked, Phichit delivered.”

“He _asked?”_

Yuuko put both hands over her mouth and snorted.

“It’s not funny!” Yuuri protested, biting into the apple.

“By the way, your pager has been going off all morning,” Phichit said. “There’s some mail for you.”

“Where is it?”

“Not here, silly, in the mail room.”

Yuuko unzipped her jacket. “How has your week been? You haven’t been at lunch lately.”

“Oh, right. Minako’s been keeping me late most days. We’re working on developing my focus activities.”

“What are you thinking about choosing?” Phichit asked.

“For my physical, probably dance, several different kinds. For mental, definitely reading.”

“Viktor said you were skating?” Yuri asked, trying and failing not to sound curious.

“How did he… what?”

“He told me he’s been seeing you at the rink.”

“The one off the Southern Wing?” Yuuri fidgeted with the corner of his sheet.

“There’s only one, stupid,” Yuri said, “and I use it, too, so don’t get too comfy.”

“I’m not that good, anyways,” said Yuuri, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m better off on solid gr-”

Something slammed against his door, startling Yuri off the edge of the bed and onto the floor.

“Ow,” came Viktor’s muffled voice.

“Good morning, Viktor,” Phichit called.

“Could someone please let me in?”

Before Yuuri could protest, Yuri had stomped over to the door and thrown it open, shoving past Viktor. “Move,” he growled. “I have class in ten minutes.”

“Ms. Baranovskaya making you start early?” Yuuko called.

“Yeah, she’s a hag,” Yuri called back, vanishing down the hall.

Viktor stood in the doorway, laden down with packages. “Minako told me to bring these to you from the mailroom.”

“I could have gotten-” 

“The correct answer is ‘thank you,’” Viktor said, dropping them at the foot of Yuuri’s bed. “You’re welcome.”

Yuuri blinked at him, at a loss, until Phichit cleared his throat and broke the tension.

“I feel bad for Yurio,” Phichit said. “Ms. Baranovskaya is brutal.”

“I’m lucky I didn’t get her,” Viktor said. “She makes him start an hour early to make sure he does all his meditation.”

“He meditates?”

“Doesn’t seem like it, does it?” Viktor smiled. “How is _your_ meditation going, Yuuri?”

Yuuri, again, was struck by how Viktor pronounced his name. “It’s alright. Sometimes it’s hard to focus, but sometimes I like it.”

“Mm, it’s not my favorite, but I meditate upwards of two hours per day to maintain my control.”

“Wow.”

“What’s your weekly, Yuuri?” Yuuko asked.

"Huh?"

"She means your weekly assignment," Phichit said.

“Oh," Yuuri said. "I got the notification a few days ago. I’ve been on kitchen duty.”

“What? Me, too!” Viktor said. “How come I haven’t seen you in the kitchen?”

“Uhm, I haven’t been in there yet. I help set up the stands and things?"

"We should cook together sometime!" Viktor exclaimed.

Phichit grinned at Yuuri over Viktor's shoulder.

“Has the Headmaster said anything to you about donation?” Viktor said, smiling and oblivious to Yuuri's blush.

“He wrote me yesterday and told me I wasn’t allowed to donate for a few months,” said Yuuri. “What is donation, anyways? You mentioned it those few weeks ago, on the tour, but you never…”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize!” Viktor sat down precariously close to Yuuri’s legs, who shied away as subtly as he could. “Donation is how Apricus runs. It’s like donating blood, but you hook up to a machine that drains part of your Magic.”

Phichit pulled a face. “I have it this week.”

“How does it work?”

“Well, you go to one of the port rooms every other day starting Monday,” Phichit said. “You attach to one of the ports, and it drains your Magic.”

“About twenty or thirty percent,” Viktor added.

“It sucks, and you feel super tired after, but you get off afternoon classes, which is awesome.”

“Aren’t you going to open those?” Yuuko asked, gesturing towards the parcels.

“Oh, right.” Yuuri slipped out from under the covers, flushing when he realized he was wearing a t-shirt and a set of boxers… and nothing else.

Yuuri cleared his throat and fought to keep his tone neutral. “Phichit, could you grab me a pair of jeans from the closet?”

Phichit gave him an unimpressed look.

“Please?” _PLEASE,_ he begged with his eyes.

Phichit chucked a pair of pants at Yuuri’s head, and he wriggled into them without getting up off his bed and without looking at anyone. (It was quite an accomplishment.)

Yuuri grabbed the first package, which was small and soft, and, for some reason, wrapped in Christmas paper. Inside was a folded piece of paper and a shimmering gold scarf.

 

_We decided to cancel the orientation, because I informed Headmaster Atlas how much you hate having the spotlight on you. Congrats, now you’re officially an upperclassman! Wear it with pride._

_-Minako_

 

“Nice!” Yuuko said.

Yuuri ran his hands across the fabric, marveling at the unique texture. He set it aside, next to his nearly-untouched breakfast tray. The second package was rectangular and wrapped in sensible cardboard paper.

Inside was a book: _Condensed Encyclopedia of the World (Uncensored) by Robin Z. Leto._

“Yuuri got his copy of the _Uncensored!”_ Phichit snapped a picture of the cover and fussed with his camera.

“What? Wait… Odyssia mentioned this,” Yuuri recalled.

“There’s an Earthen version, with a different author, but Leto was the real one,” VIktor said. “The censored version cut out all the entries about Magic-related topics. We use the uncensored version. It’s great.”

“I’ll read it later.” _And memorize it so I look like less of an idiot._

“Oh, shoot!” Yuuko leapt from the bed, staring at her pager. “Guys, we totally lost track of time! Class starts in ten minutes!”

“Crap!” Phichit bolted out the door.

“He has math, and the teacher has it out for him,” Viktor explained, standing up. “What do you have, Yuuri?”

“Science,” Yuuri said.

“Aren’t you… going to go?”

Yuuri shook his head. “Mr. Karpisek excused me from class until I pass the first- and second-year exams. I’m studying for them until then.”

“Lucky,” Viktor said, slinging his bookbag over his shoulder. “Well, good luck studying. See you at lunch?”

“Hope so,” Yuuri said, cracking a smile. “See you.”

Once his room was empty, Yuuri reached for the last package. He recognized his mother’s looping handwriting in an instant and tore the box open.

An envelope sat on top of a series of carefully wrapped objects. Yuuri unfolded the letter.

 

_Dear Yuuri,_

_We hope you’re having a great time at Apricus! Of course, there were a few things we forgot to give you before you left, so here they are._

_We’ve moved north, to a Magical community called Crest. Everyone has been incredibly kind to us, and we’ve even met a few people who were acquaintances of Sorano. All is well with us, so don’t worry a bit._

_How is school? Are your classes difficult? Mari asked me to write if you can fly yet… I’m not sure if that’s even possible, but she seems very curious._

_Have you made any new friends? I know how shy you can be, but if you open up, I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time._

_Please write us back. We gave the post office our mailing address, so you can reach us if you’d like!_

_Lots of love,_

_Mom, Dad, and Mari_

 

A small box containing a new watch was the first item Yuuri pulled out. A sticky note proclaimed:  _In case you work with Unda._

The second item was a picture in a thin frame. The picture was of a woman with shining brown eyes and long black hair, standing next to Headmaster Atlas and a few other teachers, including Minako. She was smiling brightly, and Yuuri realized how similar her face looked to his father’s. Another sticky note, in his dad’s handwriting: _An old thing I had sitting around. So you know what she looks like._

Yuuri set the picture on his bedside table and reached for the last object in the box. It was a small, black box. He popped it open to see a small, two-compartment container, and a small leaflet. A final sticky note let him know what they were: _Co_ _ntacts, the semi-permanent kind. Hope they come in handy._

He smiled, a bit tremulously, because he’d been indirectly asking for contacts for years. His parents had never gotten around to ordering a pair.

Unfolding the leaflet, he skimmed the text and discovered the contacts had to be taken out at night, so their functions could regenerate overnight. They would last for years if he took good care of them.

Vowing to try them on later, Yuuri sighed, got up off his bed, and turned to the intimidating stack of textbooks on his desk.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's kind of boring... don't worry, the next one will be much more exciting ;) I actually have a few chapters planned out in advance for once, which is kind of weird!
> 
> I mostly wrote Viktuuri oneshots on my Boston trip. I spent over 10 hours on a bus! It was hellish! But I did write a pretty long Viktuuri zombie apocalypse AU, so that was cool. I might post it sometime. (Edit: posted!)


	17. Saturday, October 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> October's sparring match comes around, and Yuuri and Viktor go as spectators.

“Ready to get your ass kicked, pig?”

“I’m just here to watch,” said Yuuri, not batting an eye.

“But _Yuuri,_ we practiced together all week!”

“I’m _watching-"_

Viktor's eyes were begging.

“For now,” Yuuri said.

“Okay, everyone, you know the drill!” Minako had, at some point, arrived, and was shooing everyone to the edges of the room. “Volunteers? Anyone? C’mon, guys, work with me.”

Mila and Sara stepped forward, and Minako beamed.

 _“Thank_ you, girls!” Minako rolled up the sleeves of her trenchcoat and lifted her hands. They glowed a rippling blue, and she traced a circle in the air, widening it with a sweeping gesture and letting it settle around Mila and Sara. 

“What _is_ that?” he whispered to Viktor.

“It’s a barrier,” Phichit said. “In case somebody messes up.”

As he spoke, a shimmering blue barrier surrounded the pair as they stood opposite each other, hands half-risen.

“So… what are the rules?”

“Phichit, want to explain it to this moron?” Yuri muttered.

“Yura,” said Otabek.

“Ignore him!" Phichit said cheerfully. "So, basically, you spar with your partner by using your Magic in whatever way you want, with the goal being to knock them down,” he continued, putting his chin on Yuuri’s shoulder. “You try not to hurt them or knock them out, or you get disqualified.”

“That’s all?”

“It’s not complicated,” Phichit said. “You can probably participate next month.”

Minako checked her watch, the nodded. “Go!”

“Keep an eye on Sara,” Phichit said into Yuuri’s ear. “She’s an Aere.”

Yuuri didn’t reply, somewhat flustered. Sara took a fighting stance and curved her fingers inwards. Mila, who was lifting a sphere of water above her head, stumbled, and the water crashed down and soaked her.

“Sara has a much more traditional fighting style than Mila," said Phichit, "so she can usually get the drop on her.”

“You pay attention to crap like that?” Yuri asked.

“Well, yeah. I pay attention to stuff that’s important, rather than being distracted by my partner,” Phichit said pleasantly.

Yuri’s eye twitched, and Viktor’s left eyebrow caught on fire.

“Ow, hey!” he yelped, batting at it. Pouting, he draped himself over Yuuri’s shoulders, knocking Phichit away.

“Sorry,” Yuri said, not sounding at all sorry.

Phichit turned his attention back to Yuuri, unbothered by Viktor’s pushiness. “Sara’s power level is a bit higher than Mila’s, but Mila’s fighting style is more aggressive. She and Yurio practice together a lot, even though their Magics are incompatible.”

“Like Viktor and Yuri practiced,” Otabek added. Yuuri raised his eyebrows, looking over his shoulder at Viktor and almost smashing their heads together.

“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that!” Phichit cocked his head. “Viktor, when _was_ the last time you trained with Yurio?”

“Probably last year,” Viktor said. Yuuri staggered under his weight.

“Asshole,” Yuri grumbled.

“You can never predict who will win a match between Sara and Mila,” Phichit said to Yuuri as if nothing had interrupted them.

“How do you determine someone’s power level, anyways?” Yuuri asked.

“High-level Elementalists, usually Terra, have some sort of technique for it. Or you take a strength test."

"What's a strength test?"

"You see how much Magic you can have drained before you pass out."

“That seems a bit… extreme.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Phichit pulled out his pager. “I hope the Mini’s still open by the time we get out of here… I still have two essays to work on and I really want an espresso.”

“Mila wins this round!” Minako called out.

The barrier was lowered. Mila knelt and helped a glowering Sara to her feet. 

“Good spar, guys." Minako put her hands on her hips. "Who wants to take round two?”

Sets of partners came and went, and Yuuri tried to keep up, absorbing all he could from watching other Aere fight. Viktor seemed bored, letting go of Yuuri after a few minutes and sitting back against the wall. Most people were on their pagers instead of watching.

“Okay, I know you’re all tired but I need one more until we call it a night,” Minako said, combing her hair back with one hand. “Anyone? Please?”

“Wanna go, Beka?” Yuri said suddenly.

Otabek blinked at him. “Yuri… Are you sure?”

“I’m fine. I feel great.” Yuri bounced on the balls of his feet. “Let’s do it.”

“We’ll go, Ms. Okukawa,” Otabek said, raising his voice.

“Um, Viktor, why did Otabek-?” 

“Oh, Yurio’s notorious for blasting holes in things,” Viktor said. “Otabek’s always nervous about sparring.”

Minako set the barrier once again. “Go!”

Yuri immediately summoned a jet of flame and hurled it at Otabek. A collection of pebbles flew from Otabek’s pockets and formed a shield, deflecting the blast. Yuuri stared, mouth hanging open.

Otabek closed his hands into fists, and the pebbles collapsed into grains of sand. He spread his fingers and flung the sand at Yuri, blinding him. Yuri cursed and coughed, sparks shooting off his clothes.

“Go, Yurio!” Mila called out, laughing.

“No way, go Otabek!” Phichit said.

Yuri lashed out blindly, crying out. There was a collective gasp as a wave of fire exploded outwards and crashed into Otabek, who flew back and slammed against the barrier. He collapsed, left arm clutching his burned right.

Viktor's hands flew to his mouth.

Yuri dropped to his knees, flames rapidly growing in the air around him. Heat sizzled against Minako's magic.

Yuuri took a step forward. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. His arms lifted of their own volition. It was like his body, his Magic, belonged to a stranger.

All the air was sucked of the room.

Time slowed to a near-stop as the flames around Yuri flickered and died.

Yuuri was numb. He watched Yuri’s face seize up, watched him fall forward, bracing himself on one arm, start to choke.

Something closed around his wrists.

“Yuuri. Yuuri, stop,” came Viktor’s fuzzy voice. “Stop, Yuuri- _P_ _lease-”_

It felt like a rubber band snapping and coming back to hit him. Yuuri ripped his arms away, staggering backwards.

He heard ragged, choked coughing. His eyes darted back and forth, unable to land on anything, until something seized them: Otabek’s dark, glaring gaze.

“Oh, shit” said someone, and Yuuri collapsed.

 

~

 

“Damn it, Otabek, why the _hell_ would you-”

“I couldn’t control it any more than he could control what he did to Yura-!”

“He could have gone into a _coma!_ You can’t just-”

“You know _perfectly_ well that my power level is too low to do that,” Otabek hissed.

“Boys, boys, please! I need you both to calm down before you do something you’ll regret-”

A door creaked. “Viktor, Yakov wants to see you-”

Yuuri drifted between darkness and light, listening as somebody stalked from the room. His head felt heavy, and his thoughts were like tar — he kept getting caught in a single one.

“I’ll be right back,” the nurse said, and the door closed.

It was quiet for a moment.

“Yura,” Otabek said softly. “I know you’re awake, come back to me.”

Yuri sighed, and fabric rustled. “Beka, your arm…”

“I’ll be fine. It’s not that bad. The nurse healed the worst and bandaged it. See? It’s-”

“I’m so _sorry.”_ Yuri’s voice was muffled and shaking.

“Why are you apologizing, Yura? It's not your fault-”

“I… I know, it’s just, it was my idea to spar, and you knew I wasn’t ready, and I…” Yuri sniffed. “I wanted to show you I could do it, that I had control, but I..."

“Yura, your Magic is incredibly strong. The only reason you’re not in isolation right now is because of how hard you’ve worked to hold back. This could have been much worse.”

“Yeah, I… I guess.” Yuri sighed again. “Thanks, Beka. Is he awake yet?”

“Can’t tell,” Otabek said. “Why? You want me to beat him up?”

“Very funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Beka, are you being… protective?”

“That’s not- I’m, I'm not- _N_ _o.”_

“Whatever you say,” Yuri said, smile in his voice. He cleared his throat and said, louder, “Oi, pig. Wake up!”

Yuuri groaned and shifted. “Hmmh?”

He blinked blearily and saw Otabek’s face looming over him. A flash: the last thing he’d seen before he'd blacked out was Otabek’s eyes, and something-

“Did you… do... that?” Yuuri asked.

“I don't know what you’re talking about,” Otabek said, withdrawing to Yuri’s bed.

Yuuri sat up, wincing slightly. Across the room, Yuri was leaning back against the wall. Immediately Yuuri noticed the blue tint to his pale skin, and Yuuri's heart flew up into his throat.

“I’m sorry,” he said, unable to look up from the floor.

Yuri snorted. “The fuck are you apologizing for? I was the one who screwed up in the first place.”

“But I-”

“Nope, you don’t get to argue. It wasn’t your fault, so don’t be a bitch about it.”

Yuuri looked up. “I still need to say it. I had no clue what I was doing, and I…”

He trailed off, and Yuri gave him an odd look.

“You what?”

“I, uhm, didn’twantyoutogethurt,” Yuuri said in a rush.

“That’s stupid. Fire doesn’t hurt me,” Yuri said.

“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” Yuuri corrected. “I thought I could help, or something. I was being... stupid.”

“Well, yeah,” Yuri said. “But I was stupid in the first place, trying to spar knowing I might hurt B- someone.”

After a minute, Yuuri took a deep breath. “I think I’ll opt out of spectating next time.”

“And I’ll opt out of sparring for a few months,” Yuri agreed. “But you might actually have some semblance of control soon, so.”

Yuuri laughed. “I doubt it.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Yuri.

“Sorry for… what I did” Otabek said. Yuuri noticed the heavy bandages wrapped around his right arm and torso. He was distracted by them long enough to create an awkward silence.

“What exactly _did_ you do?” Yuuri asked. “It all happened so quickly."

“Some Terra are able to do a weird thing that makes your Magic short out,” Yuri said, glowering at Otabek from the side. “I didn’t even know Otabek knew how to do it.”

“I didn’t either, if it makes you feel better,” Otabek said. “But I am sorry, Yuuri. I acted instinctively."

Yuuri nodded. “I understand. I’m… glad you’re not angry.”

“Well, _I’m_ fucking pissed that you got the drop on me,” Yuri said. “I could still beat your ass in a fair fight, pig, don’t forget it.”

“Yura.”

“What? I thought you were mad, too!”

Otabek smiled, and Yuuri felt a little out of place, like he was intruding on something intimate. If only Viktor was there-

Viktor kicked open the door. “Yuuri!” he exclaimed. “I heard your voice!”

“Um, yeah. I can hear yours, too,” Yuuri said as Viktor strangled him in a hug.

“They’re awake, Headmaster,” came the nurse’s voice from the hall, and four heads snapped up as Headmaster Atlas swept into the room.

“Hello, boys,” he said. “I understand there were issues at today’s sparring?”

“I’ll say,” the nurse griped. “The only person in this room who kept proper control of his Magic is Mr. Nikiforov.”

“Oh, no, I think I burst a few water pipes on the way down here,” Viktor said. “Kidding, I’m kidding,” he hurriedly added when he saw the look on the nurse’s face.

Headmaster Atlas stood with his hands behind his back, expression neutral. “Mr. Katsuki-”

Yuuri winced.

“Please refrain from making rash decisions of this caliber in the future,” said the Headmaster. “If Mr. Nikiforov had not stopped you, Mr. Plisetsky could very well have died, or at least sustained permanent brain damage. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand,” Yuuri said, shoulders slumping.

“Mr. Plisetsky, keep your excitement in check. You, too, were extremely rash in coercing your partner to spar with you, knowing your control is how it is.”

“I guess,” Yuri said under his breath.

Headmaster Atlas turned his gaze on Otabek. “And Mr. Altin, I don’t think I need to tell you that what you did was uncalled for, and dangerous.”

“Yes, Headmaster,” Otabek said. “It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t.” The Headmaster nodded to the nurse and left the room.

“He’s... intense,” Yuuri said.

Yuri snorted. “Only when you do stupid shit.”

“Mr. Katsuki, you may return to your room,” the nurse said. "Mr. Nikiforov, please support him if need be, but keep in mind he's still sensitive to Magic."

Viktor nodded, helping Yuuri to his feet. As it turned out, Viktor didn't do much supporting at first; he latched onto Yuuri the second they left the room, and refused to release him as they took the Ramp to the Sphaer-up.

“Do you feel okay?” he kept asking.

“I’m fine,” Yuuri kept replying, fighting to keep his balance. Eventually, Viktor stopped playing around, and their roles reversed, with Viktor supporting Yuuri.

It was nice, Yuuri realized. It was really nice, to lean on someone and know they would hold you up…

“Yuuri? Please stay awake, I can’t carry you, you’re too heavy.”

“Am not,” Yuuri murmured.

“I didn’t know you could create a vacuum,” Viktor said.

Yuuri’s vision was literally swimming. “A what?”

“It’s forbidden to teach,” Viktor said. The words sounded like they were echoing down a tunnel.

“Why am I so tired?” Yuuri asked, voice slurring.

“No clue. Should I bring you back to the nurse’s-”

“No, I’ll be fine,” Yuuri said. “Probably just… don’t know. S’not important.”

Yuuri allowed his eyes to close for a moment as he leaned on Viktor’s shoulder. His thoughts shifted from intelligent, to poetic, to completely intelligible from the darkness overtaking his vision.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally wrote the last page of this at 10 at night, please don't judge if it's horrible and flowery ;_; Hope y'all enjoyed the feelings, but I hate leaving you on an angsty cliffhanger, so I took extra time to write in the end.
> 
> My offer still stands: if you want to submit any little ideas you have about this AU, go ahead! I save them all!!
> 
> I'll try to have another chapter out within this next week, as always! Sorry it took me so long to update.
> 
> Edit: Fixed an inconsistency. Sorry :(


	18. Tuesday, October 17th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor comes to Yuuri during one of Yuuri's study sessions, and Yuuri has a post-accident checkup with the nurse.

Yuuri had his study materials spread out at the end of the hallway, where a small circle of chairs sat facing a massive, bubble-shaped window. Textbooks were stacked on a nearby table, with the topmost flipped open to a chapter on Sphaera and their different forms, but Yuuri wasn’t paying them the slightest bit of attention. He was standing with one hand pressed against the windowpane, staring out at the mountains.

A familiar hollow feeling crept up on him, curling around his shoulders and settling somewhere in his throat. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the cold glass.

“Tired?”

“No, not really,” Yuuri said, opening his eyes but not turning around.

Viktor came to stand beside him. “You like the view?”

“It’s peaceful.” _Unlike everything else in my life right now._

Viktor looked back at the textbooks. “Ugh, I remember that unit from second year. I feel bad for you, it’s so dull.”

“No, it’s… it’s interesting. It’s just hard to remember everything.”

“I could help you study,” Viktor said, but quickly corrected himself. _“We_ could help you study. Yuuko’s great with memorization tricks.”

“Mm, maybe.” _I can do this on my own._

“I haven’t seen you at the rink for a while. Have you moved on?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll stick to dance.” _I’ve seen you skate, and it’s breathtaking,_ Yuuri thought, recalling how he’d been waking up early to go to the rink when it was empty. He’d gone to great lengths to hide the bruises littering his legs and hips-

Viktor touched Yuuri’s cheek, turning his head and forcing Yuuri to meet his eyes. “How do you feel about your control? I know you’ve been holding back during practice.”

Yuuri brushed Viktor’s hand off. “I’ll work on it.” _I can’t. I’m not strong enough. I’ll hurt someone again._

“Are you tired? You seem… stressed.”

“I’ve been out late,” Yuuri blurted.

“Oh? I never noticed you leaving your room.”

 _Stupid, stupid, why did I say that?_ “I, uh, I’m quiet. It’s not a big deal, I mean, I get enough sleep and everything.”

“Yuuri, have you been drilling without me?”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that. Besides, the ladders are locked up at night, so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t go up top-”

“Yuuri.”

He stopped talking and looked up at Viktor, biting his lip. Viktor looked thoughtful and a little sad.

“You’re lying, aren’t you?”

“Um…” Yuuri took a slow breath in, turning around and leaning his back against the window, looking back towards the rooms so he wouldn’t have to look at Viktor. “Yeah.”

“We’re partners, Yuuri,” Viktor said, mimicking his posture. “And friends. You can trust me, can’t you?”

Yuuri shrugged. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping, so I… um, a couple times a week, I’ve been going down to the rink and… practicing.”

“Without anyone around? That’s-”

“Dangerous?” Yuuri exhaled. “I know. I want to get better.”

“Physical hobbies definitely can help with control,” Viktor said carefully, “but tiring yourself out will only make it harder to progress.”

“I’m not tiring mys-”

“Yuuri, the dark circles under your eyes speak for themselves.” Viktor put a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “Next time you can’t sleep, wake me up and I’ll go with you.”

“But I-”

Viktor put a finger to Yuuri’s lips. “Shh. Please?”

Yuuri entertained the idea of running away screaming, but decided against it. Instead, he shifted his head so that Viktor’s finger was in the center of his lower lip. “Fine,” he said, speaking around it.

Viktor froze, then smirked. His finger ghosted across Yuuri’s lips as he drew his hand back. “Would you like to come down to the hot springs?"

“No thanks,” Yuuri said at once. He was only a few weeks into his meal plan, and he’d seen no real changes in his body so far, and he’d been checking every day.

“Are you self-conscious?” Viktor asked. “You shouldn’t be.”

“I appreciate that, but that doesn’t mean I’ll magically feel confident,” Yuuri said, laughing a little. “Thanks for the invitation, though.”

“Yuuri, I can feel how tired you are. Please, come relax. You deserve-”

Turning, Yuuri stared at Viktor. “You… what? You can “feel” how tired I am?”

Viktor looked sufficiently cowed. His face was pink, and his eyes were darting back and forth. “I… well…”

“Is it a Magic thing? _Another_ thing I don’t know about?” Yuuri pushed air out between his teeth, giving up on trying to meet Viktor’s eyes.

Viktor shrugged. “It’s… complicated? I asked Yakov about it when it first happened, and he said I was just being sentimental. But I, I think it’s-”

“Viktor. What. Are. You talking about.”

“Sometimes if your Magic is compatible to someone’s, and you train together, um.” Viktor shrugged one shoulder. “You might start to, ah, be able to feel how the other is feeling.”

Yuuri blinked. “Like… a link?”

“I guess. Yakov wasn’t specific,” Viktor said, half-smiling. “It’s weird, right? I went to him after your outburst last week.”

“What? Why then?”

Viktor opened his mouth, then snapped it closed.

“Partners? Trust?” Yuuri prompted.

“I could feel it.”

“Feel it?” A distinctly frazzled feeling was settling over him. “Feel it how?”

“Right here.” Viktor put a hand on his chest. “I could feel you were in pain.”

“I’ve never felt that,” Yuuri said.

“I haven’t been in pain since I met you,” Viktor said.

Yuuri took a deep breath. “That’s… weird.”

“Sorry,” Viktor murmured.

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said. “It’s not your fault.”

“You really won’t come down?” Viktor asked. “It’s so nice, and everyone was asking where you were.”

Yuuri checked his watch and winced. “I actually have a nurse’s appointment in a little while. Tell everyone I’ll come down another time, okay?”

“Okay,” Viktor said, finally backing away. “See you at dinner?”

“See you,” Yuuri said, beginning to gather his books.

 

~

 

“Any persisting symptoms since the sparring incident?”

Yuuri shook his head. “I feel okay. My control is still horrible.”

“That’s understandable, of course,” she said, marking something down on a sheet of paper.

“I’m sorry about all the damage I caused…”

“I’ve seen worse, actually.”

His eyes widened. “Wh- You have? Who was it?”

“Your Ignis friend,” she said, not looking up from her papers. “Yuri Plisetsky.”

“Wow, really?”

“Mm,” she said, “his first outburst here was a spectacle. He incinerated his entire room and burned everything in a twenty-foot radius to a crisp, including the floor. We’re lucky we have talented Terra who could fix it before the wing collapsed.”

Yuuri imagined his eyes were the size of dinner plates.

“He’s always had unstable control,” the nurse said. “Runs in the family, in his blood.” Finally, she looked up. “Let’s keep that between us, alright? Patient confidentiality.”

“Okay,” he said, and she changed the subject.

“How has your appetite been?” she asked. “Have you been getting enough protein?”

“I promise I have,” he said. “The cravings have gone away, for the most part.”

“Good boy,” she said. “Minako dropped by to let me know that you’ve chosen your primary physical and mental focus activities, for your file.”

“Yeah…?”

“How has that been going?”

“Oh, I mean, it’s been okay.” Yuuri stared at his hands. “Minako has been letting me try lots of different styles of dance and music. It’s cool.”

“She also said you’ve been doing skating and karate?”

“Self-defense, yeah,” Yuuri said.

“That’s an ambitious lineup,” said the nurse. “You won’t consider cutting one?”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Yuuri. “They’re all important to me.”

“Alright,” she said. “Variety is important, after all. Have you been meditating?”

Yuuri grimaced. “I’ve been trying to. I get distracted easily.”

She nodded. “That’s normal. Twenty minutes in the morning?”

“Closer to thirty,” Yuuri said. “It’s hard to stay focused, though, so I drift in and out.”

“Has Minako told you about group meditations yet?”

“Um, no…”

“Instead of a weekly activity, every other month we’ll do a group meditation, segregated by elemental type,” the nurse said. “At the end, they serve a special snack, and give each set of partners a selection of partner meditations."

_Partner meditation? With Viktor? Sign me up!_

“Sounds good,” Yuuri said.

“One more thing before you go,” she said. “Have you read the handouts I put in the folder?”

“Uhm, I skimmed them,” he admitted.

“Give them a look,” she said. “There’s some tips in there that are good for you. See you later, Katsuki.”

He said goodbye and went back to his room, interested in whatever she’d left in his folder. Tucked behind Week 10 of meal guidelines was a packet titled “Self Care for Busy Elementalists,” and wedged behind it were two thicker booklets labeled “Anxiety: What You’re Doing Right” and “Positivity In Dark Times.”

Yuuri, unable to keep a smile from his face, reached for his pager, opening her contact in his email.

“Hey, Yuuri, you in there?” came Yuuko’s muffled voice.

“I’m here,” he called, typing furiously.

“It’s almost time for dinner. Wanna come?”

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a sec.” He sent the email after tacking a smiley face onto the end and hurried out the door. Yuuko was waiting, hands clasped behind her back.

“What’s got you so happy? Viktor do something cute?” she guessed.

“Maybe,” he replied, still wearing a small smile.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week has been mega-shitty, but I'm glad I had the energy to wrap up this chapter and post it! Oh, and my birthday was yesterday, and I splurged on fudge pie. #someregrets
> 
> I got some great feedback during an especially dark period this week, and I based Yuuri's reaction to the love of others to MY reaction to the love of others. Simply put, it's LOVELY <3 <3
> 
> Opening up more loose ends for me to retrieve for our amusement! Let me know if this chapter sparked anything in your imagination, because I know it did for me ;) As always, thanks so much for reading! Drop a comment if the moment moves you :)


	19. Friday, October 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri finally finds time to write home. Or: Phichit is a messy texter.

Sitting down at his desk, Yuuri dropped his head into his arms and heaved a sigh. His legs felt like rubber, and the muscles in his shoulders and back ached like he’d been hit. Despite the fact that his entire body was begging for a fifteen-hour nap, he sat up and took a fresh piece of paper from his Math binder.

 

_ Dear Dad, Mom, and Mari, _

_ Thanks for the letter, and sorry it took me a few weeks to write back. Things have been completely crazy lately, but I have a little free time now that my assessments are over. I had to memorize a bunch of material to pass the first- and second-year tests in Magical History and Science, so my brain is super-fried right now. Did you know that the Realm is thought to be an actual physical plane of existence, but nobody has been able to locate a portal that works two ways? There have been hundreds of Elementalists who find natural portals, step through, and are never seen again. And portals can close on their own, as well, so that’s _

 

Yuuri stopped writing and furiously erased the last three sentences, then continued.

 

_ Sorry, I rambled a little. As soon as I send this letter off, I’m going straight to sleep. _

_ I’ve gotten a copy of the Uncensored Encyclopedia by Robin Loreto, which is apparently required reading for all first-years here. I’m close to memorizing parts of it at this point. _

_ How is Crest? I hope everything is alright. Are Magical communities really different from where we lived before? _

_ School is tricky, but I’m doing okay. I have assessments in a few days on the first couple year’s material. I’m worried about the science part, but I’m confident about the history. Memorization isn’t all that hard. Tell Mari no, I can’t fly yet, because I can barely use my Magic without knocking somebody over. I’m getting better, though. _

_ You’ll be happy to hear that I have made some friends, mostly because they were all too friendly NOT to take me in. My partner is a boy named Viktor, who’s an Unda and lives a few rooms down the hall from me. He’s nice and _

 

He paused, chewing on the end of his pen.

 

_ He’s nice and (relatively) patient when we train together. He’s a little pushy sometimes, but he’s very talented and working with him is good for me. Viktor is an Unda, and he has better control than I can ever hope to have. _

_ I have a few other friends as well, Yuuko, Phichit, and Minami… they’re enthusiastic and fun to hang out with. _

_ Sorry to cut this short, but I need to do a little studying before I hit the hay. Hope to hear back from you soon!! _

_ Yuuri _

 

As he signed the letter, his pager buzzed. Yuuri looked over and saw another High Wind Advisory, and that Phichit had tagged him in seven pictures on iM.

“Phichit, why,” Yuuri moaned when he opened the app to see several pictures of him dancing in a half-lit room — room 504, to be specific, the classroom-turned-dance studio that Minako allowed him to use during their sessions. From the angle, Yuuri could guess he’d managed to shoot from the doorway… But how?

_ @yuuri_katsuki hard at work!! Y’all should see his improv to “LITT,” it’s lit ;) #it’slittho #sniperspecial #bestie _

Yuuri sent Phichit a private message.  _ Could you PLEASE not post pictures of me on your Sniper Specials?? _

_ Whoops ;)  _ was Phichit’s prompt reply.

Yuuko had said that before Yuuri arrived, Mila and Sara were usually the target of Phichit’s Sniper Specials. Now that Viktor and Yuuri were partners, though, Phichit kept appearing in odd places to try and take pictures of them. It was embarrassing, to say the least.

His pager pinged again, another message from Phichit.  _ Bsides, how could I NOT post pics of u? Ur looking GR8 these days, way happier and healthier XD _

_ I’ve been dieting,  _ Yuuri admitted. And though he didn’t want to sound needy, he added  _ It shows? _

_ Yea, totally! We all notice and we’re proud of u <3  _

_ Thanks… _

_ Doz this mean u’ll come 2 the hot springs now???? _

_ What??? No!!! _

_ :(((((((  _ Phichit sent, adding a selfie of him pouting for good measure.

Yuuri sighed.  _ Maybe in a few weeks?  _

_ Kk, telling Viktor now ;) _

_ No, don’t!! _

_ 2 L8 :D _

Yuuri sighed again and turned off his pager, kicking off his sneakers. He felt like he should study more history, but his brain was fried and his body was tired. 

Phichit messaged him again.  _ R u mad? _

_ No,  _ Yuuri said. 

_ K good, I don’t want to make u uncomfortable or anythn _

_ Your matchmaking methods are… unorthodox. But I appreciate them. Generally. _

_ Awwwhhh thank u <3 _

_ Now, Phichit, I really do have to sleep… _

_ Boringgggg _

_ I’m tired!! _

_ Lol see u @ breakfast 2morrow _

_ See you. _

Yuuri’s eyes were slipping closed before he even turned off the pager.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tidbit: "LITT" is referring to the song "Lost It To Trying" by Son Lux. Yes, there are some song cross-overs from this universe to theirs ^-^
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's short, but I'm trying to keep everything straight in my head right now with this AU, because I was hit with a thunderbolt of another AU idea (robot dystopian future AU, anyone?), which is in development. This story is like a big ball of yarn, and if I'm not super careful all the strands run together in my head XD
> 
> I have many ideas for future chapters, but I was wondering if you'd all be interested in a short chapter from Viktor's POV? I may write it anyways even if I get no answers, and it's not the sort of POV you're thinking of... lol, anyways. Anyone interested???


	20. Monday, October 23rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor dreams.

_It’s snowing. He’s standing, alone, in the dark, but somehow he can see the bright snowflakes, fluttering down from above. It’s silent. Nothing moving. Peaceful._

_Something twists, and the silence becomes eerie. Something is missing._

_What’s missing?_

_The snow falls faster, wind blasting him from behind. He stumbles forward and falls to his knees, and realizes someone’s eyes are on him._

_The snow freezes in place._

_And he looks up, and Yuuri is looking down at him, smiling and silent. Viktor felt like he wanted to smile, too, but at some point he might have forgotten how, wishes he could because Yuuri looks so_ **_beautiful_** _, but. But…_

_Something is missing. What’s missing?_

_Yuuri is still smiling. Viktor reaches out for him, wanting to touch his hand, wanting Yuuri to say something, because he’s scared. What’s missing? What is he_ **_missing_** _-_

_His fingers touch Yuuri’s arm, and Viktor is horrified to see a crack appear._

_Suddenly, the snow is falling again, faster, like bullets pelting him. The fracture lines spread across Yuuri’s body, and as the wind blows, pieces of Yuuri begin to break off. Viktor watches, horrified, as Yuuri falls apart, his frozen smile blowing away in the wind._

_Viktor can’t make a sound, can’t move a muscle. The darkness is punctuated by snapshots of scenes, things Viktor can’t quite make out: flashes of fire, a strange object sizzling with electricity, someone screaming. Yuuri’s voice, vague and hard to make out. He hears his name-_

_The snow falls faster, and he feels so empty. Something is missing…_

_His vision is covered in white. He’s falling-_

 

Viktor bolted upright, shuddering and covered in sweat. He shivered again, remembering the vacant look on Yuuri’s face as he disintegrated in the wind, rubbing his forehead with the heel of his hand. Viktor’s whole body hurt, and the muscles in his legs spasmed a few times before lying still.

“Hahh…”

Abruptly, he found his eyes filling with tears. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and his hearing was oddly muffled, so his sobs came out sounding strangled. Maybe part of that was the fact he couldn’t draw a full breath. _Something missing…_

Wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep and forget the whole thing, Viktor reached for his dream journal with trembling hands.

 

~

 

“Hey, Viktor, what’s up?” Chris asked, mouth half-full of sausage. “You’ve been kinda quiet this morning.”

“I’m fine,” Viktor said immediately, lifting a smile onto his face with all the effort of a crane lifting a ton of concrete. “Slept badly.”

Everyone seemed to accept that, except for Yuuri, who was watching him from across the table, eyebrows furrowed.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

_A crack runs up the side of Yuuri’s neck, his smile never faltering-_

“I guess you could say that,” Viktor said, averting his eyes so he won’t burst into tears.

“Want to talk about it?”

“No,” Viktor murmured.

He was shocked to feel Yuuri’s tentative fingers on his wrist. He looked up, chest tight.

“I have a lot of experience with bad dreams,” Yuuri offered.

“I’ll be fine,” Viktor said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“We’re partners, aren’t we?” Yuuri’s mouth quirked up on one side. “You can trust me.”

Viktor took a deep breath and willed his face to relax. “It didn’t make any sense, really. Lots of nonsense. Snow. But it scared me.”

Yuuri nodded. “I understand. None of it’s real, though.”

A flash. _His mother, dreamlike, drifting away. Cars blowing past. Yakov’s eyes, his mouth opening to release the truth-_

“I know,” Viktor said. _But it really might be._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the Viktor's POV chapter! I know it's nothing like normal, and I wrote it in about twenty minutes flat, then edited it a little, and posted it right away. Don't get too used to the quick updates, though ;^;
> 
> Lots of love to everyone supporting me!! Sorry for the angst :(


	21. Sunday, October 29th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dreaded assessments approach, Viktor is excited about cooking, and Yuuri tries to sort through his emotions.

Early Sunday morning, Yuuri was startled from a study-induced focus by a loud, jarring alert interrupting his music. Annoyed, he looked at his pager to see a message from administration announcing his weekly was kitchen duty… again.

A second message arrived right on its tail, from Viktor. _Are you on cooking duty again?_

 _Yes,_ Yuuri replied. _I think I’ve been restricted to it._

A pause, and then: _You’re cooking with me this afternoon. I’ve already arranged it_

Instead of responding, Yuuri decided to be a twelve-year-old girl and text Phichit.

_Viktor just said I’m cooking with him this afternoon!! What should I do??_

_Have u texted him back?????_

_NO! I don’t know what to say!! Quick, help me!!!_

_Umm… idk. Say “ok” or somethin_

Yuuri went back to Viktor’s contact and typed _Sounds good_ with shaking fingers, forgetting to punctuate it before sending it. Cursing himself, he went back to Phichit’s.

_Okay, I sent something back. Now what?? I’m nervous ;-;_

_Invite me so it can b a photoshoot!_

_What? No!_

_And wear an apron,_ Phichit wrote.

_What??_

_ONLY an apron._

Yuuri decided to text Yuuko instead.

 _Ooh,_ she said. _What kind of cooking?_

_I don’t know, he didn’t say! WHY does the administration keep assigning us to kitchen duty together??_

_Probably because you’re partners, and the Headmaster might not want to give you anything more physical or something. Idk._

_Yuuko, I’m so nervous…_

_Why are you nervous?_

_I don’t want to say or do something stupid._ Yuuri rolled over onto his back. _He already thinks I’m immature._

_That’s not true! I think he really likes you!_

Yuuri stared at the screen of his pager, chewing on his lip. _What makes you think that?_

_I mean, you guys work really well together and stuff. Your Magics are compatible! That speaks for itself._

_What does “compatible” even mean?_ Yuuri asked, thinking back to his conversation with Viktor those few days ago. _Viktor told me that when I had that thing happen in the bathroom he could… feel it. Is that normal?_

Yuuko’s reply took a few minutes. _Nooo, I’d say not… Sometimes people with compatible Magics having these sort of “links” , where they can tell if the other one is in extreme physical or emotional pain. (This’ straight from the textbook, lol.) Maybe that’s what he meant?_

_Is there anything else in the texbook?_

Again her reply took a minute. _Not really. Look it up in your science textbook, it’s in chapter 19._

_I still haven’t taken the exam to enter the third-year class…_

_Well, when you DO get that textbook, read the chapter. It’s cool stuff._

Yuuri glanced at his watch and grimaced. _Sorry, Yuuko, but I have to go. I’ve got some meditation to do._ Not technically a lie. _Any parting advice?? :\_

_Don’t let Phichit catch you and Viktor walking together. Did you tell him about this whole thing?_

_Um, maybe?_

_Aaaaand now you’re going to have paparazzi in there with you. Good luck =)_

_Thanks, I’ll need it…_

Yuuri packed up his binders and books, grabbed his gym bag, and headed from the hall. Just as he was about to call a Sphaera, Mr. Vigil floated up and over the railing, landing next to him.

“…When can I learn how to do that?” Yuuri asked, trying not to gape.

Mr. Vigil smiled. “Next year, maybe. You should ask Ms. Okukawa if you’d like to learn it sooner.” He glanced at Yuuri’s bag. “Where are you headed at this time of morning?”

“The library,” Yuuri lied. “Actually, I’m not sure yet. Maybe the workout room? I just woke up early and wanted to get a jumpstart to my day.”

“Mm, I’d recommend the library over the ice-skating rink,” Mr. Vigil said.

“How did you-?”

“Minako’s let us know about your escapades,” he said, with a kind tone that made Yuuri feel five years old. “Your passion is admirable, though your body may not hold out as long as your determination.”

“I hope it will,” Yuuri said.

“So do I.” Mr. Vigil inclined his head. “Atlas has you scheduled for a strength test next week. I recommend you ask Minako about tips to prepare.”

“What’s a strength test?”

“To test the strength of your Magic,” Mr. Vigil said, frowning. “I think it’s still too early, but Atlas insisted.”

“Oh,” Yuuri replied.

“Well, good luck with the rest of your weekend,” said Mr. Vigil. “See you Tuesday.”

“See you,” Yuuri said.

“Make sure to be careful on the ice today,” Mr. Vigil called over his shoulder. “I don’t think there’s anybody supervising the rink until ten.”

As Mr. Vigil had predicted, nobody was supervising the rink. Yuuri felt a pang of guilt as he thought back to what Viktor had asked him, but brushed it off. It was the morning, wasn’t it? He didn’t need a babysitter to skate.

Yuuri pulled out his pager and earbuds, and noticed Minako had messaged him. _Try to think about your song for anger, alright? We’ll work on it this afternoon._

Scrolling through his music and selecting his “Emotion” playlist, Yuuri sighed. As he’d been creating his playlist, Minako had asked him to simply select songs that were emotionally powerful, but now she was asking for him to pin a specific emotion to each song.

“I know sometimes it’s hard to label what emotion you’re feeling,” she’d said, “but give it a shot, okay? Find a song that makes you feel powerful, fires you up. Or a song that reminds you of something sad. Remember, being aware of your emotions is a critical step for Magical control.”

Yuuri wished that Magical control was as straightforward as losing weight. Even if it was a pain, he knew that by working out and restricting unhealthy foods, he’d see a difference. When Yuuri worked with his Magic, he never knew whether he’d find a new way to control it, or a new way to make a complete fool of himself.

Minako had asked to see his playlist in their next session together. As he laced his skates, Yuuri set it to shuffle, and was pleased to hear an upbeat tune begin to play.

He stepped out onto the ice, a little shakily, and thought of Viktor spinning through the air. It must have taken years for him to learn to do that, but all the same, Yuuri wished he was able to make the ice sing with him the way Viktor could.

Yuuri skated until his shirt was soaked through with sweat and his legs were splattered with water and bits of ice, and it still didn’t feel like enough.

 

~

 

“Hey, what’s all this for?” Viktor asked, nudging aside one of Yuuri’s notebooks to make space for his tray.

“Test,” Yuuri muttered, pushing his glasses further up his nose, which was buried in his Science textbook.

“The assessment you’ve been talking about?”

“Mm.”

“Don’t bother him,” Phichit chastised. “Yuuri, you should go to the library if you want some peace and quiet.”

“Closed,” Yuuri replied, turning the page.

“Viktor, leave him alone,” Phichit repeated.

Yuuri glanced up from his textbook to smile at Viktor. “I’ll be glad when these tests are over. I’m reviewing right now, but you can sit, if you want.”

“You should be careful, or you’ll fry yourself long before the test,” Viktor said, sliding onto the bench next to Yuuri and sliding a water bottle next to his hand.

Yuuri took a sip before burying himself back in his book, barely registering the buzz of conversation around him.

 

“So? How did it go?”

“My head’s going to explode,” Yuuri said, “but other than that, it went fine. Wait, what are you doing out here?”

“I wanted to wait for you! Dinner prep starts at two, and we should get a head start, don’t you think?” Viktor draped his arm around Yuuri’s shoulder, much to Yuuri’s embarrassment. “Which exam was that, again?”

“Science,” Yuuri said softly, shoulders slumping slightly. “I’m glad they’re over.”

“So am I,” said Viktor. “Now you can get some good rest, right?”

Yuuri smiled. “Yeah, I hope so.”

“But not before we make the best dinner ever!” Viktor called a Sphaera, and Yuuri couldn’t help but watch the blue glow flutter between his fingers. Viktor noticed Yuuri looking and beamed, reaching over and booping Yuuri on the nose.

Yuuri blinked at him, and then, without warning, explosively sneezed.

_“Bud'te zdorovy!”_

“Huh?”

Viktor blinked. “Sorry. I learned that in my Russian class. It means “be healthy.””

“I… isn’t that…”

“Oh, right, I forgot,” Viktor said. “It’s illegal to learn other languages in Earthen places, right?”

Yuuri nodded.

“In Apricus, we actually sort of embrace it, for the most part,” Viktor said as they stepped into the waiting Sphaera. “There are classes for a couple different languages, actually, and they encompass culture as well. There’s not a lot to go off of, because so much of cultural diversity was destroyed…”

“The Widest Sweep, right?”

Viktor smiled. “I forgot you just finished testing on this. Yes, the Sweep was supposed to eradicate all traces of “other” cultures, but lots of Elementalists were able to save a few things, artifacts and books and stuff like that. We’re lucky to have access to some of what was salvaged.”

“So what language was that?”

“Russian,” Viktor said. “I had a DNA test done, and that’s where my lineage was traced to.”

“Do you think I could do that? The test, I mean.”

“Sure, if you want,” said Viktor, “though I recommend you keep your study hall for a little while longer. I bet you’d be great at learning languages!”

“Thanks,” Yuuri said.

They arrived at the swinging doors of the kitchen, which were hidden from view by a collection of food carts. Viktor pushed them open. “Madeline! We’re here!”

“Viktor, welcome!” came a disembodied voice. Yuuri’s confusion eased when a smiling face appeared from behind a counter.

“You’re Yuuri, aren’tcha?” Madeline firmly shook Yuuri’s hand, leaving traces of flour behind. “Viktor’s been gushing about you for _weeks.”_

“I have _not,”_ Viktor protested, and Yuuri hid a smile.

“So, Viktor tells me you two are gon’ta man the dessert cart t’day,” Madeline said, wiping her forehead with the back of her apron. “I usually make most of th’ stuff, seein’ as baking’s my specialty, but I don’t mind givin’ it up for a while. You bake much?”

“Um, yeah, a little. My mom helped out at a bakery for a while, and I helped her a few times.”

“Well, Viktor knows his way ‘round here,” said Madeline, “so if y’have questions, ask him. And don’t blow anythin’ up, will ya?”

“I’ll do my best,” Yuuri said.

Madeline moved away, humming, and Viktor began shuffling through the drawers built into a metal counter. “She’s nice, isn’t she?”

“Where is she from?” Yuuri asked.

“Oh, you wouldn’t recognize her accent, would you? She’s from Leche, it’s pretty far away.”

“Okay.” Yuuri picked up one of the books Viktor had taken from the drawer and examined the cover. “Cooking for Beginners? Viktor, I might not be a pro like you, but I know sugar from salt…”

“No, no, I didn’t mean to insult,” Viktor said. “The recipes in there are simpler, and easier to make in larger batches. And we need to make a lot.”

Yuuri nodded. “Where should we start?”

A new light brightened Viktor’s face as he began opening cookbooks and marking certain pages with sticky notes. “We should definitely start with five batches each of cookies, brownies, and… hm.”

“Blondies?” Yuuri suggested.

“Great idea!” Viktor exclaimed. “Okay, let’s start there. Yuuri, could you run over to the pantry and grab some chocolate chips? Maybe six bags.”

And thus began Yuuri and Viktor’s wild afternoon of baking.

 

Four hours later, Viktor was collapsed over a stool in an uncomfortable-looking position, and Yuuri was putting the last of the pans in the dishwasher, which looked more like a miniature carwash powered by Magic than anything else remotely dishwasher-like.

Madeline hurried over. “So, what’ve ya made?”

Yuuri wiped his damp hands on his apron. “We’ve got… five pans of brownies, cookies, and blondies, and those two different nut cakes over there, and two pans of sugar cookies, and Viktor made three batches of vanilla ice cream, and there are four pies over there, and…” Yuuri stooped down and opened the oven, pulling out two trays of small ramekins. “I tried my hand at mini-souffles, but I’m not sure if it worked.”

“Looks like it did!” Madeline said, taking a sniff as Yuuri set them down with trembling hands. “Nice work, very nice. Viktor, you don’t get half this much done on a normal day!”

Viktor looked up, hair flopping forward. “Yuuri’s great at this! I barely had to do a thing.”

“That’s not true and you know it,” Yuuri chastised. “What should we do now, Madeline?”

“I’ll pull up the cart, and you two carry all these goodies out there.”

Once Madeline had wheeled the cart halfway through the doors, Viktor and Yuuri carefully relocated all of their dishes. Yuuri had to run back for utensils, spatulas, and pie-servers more than once. Finally, they were finished, and after they helped Madeline set up the last of the food carts, she released them.

“Good job today!” she said as they left. “Yuuri, I hope you’ll consider comin’ back s’more this week!”

“I will!” Yuuri said, waving and smiling.

Viktor linked arms with him, and Yuuri looked up at him, stomach flipping over.

“You’ve got flour on your face,” Viktor said, brushing a finger across Yuuri’s forehead. He examined said finger and then _licked it._ Yuuri cringed as Viktor's face split into a grin.

“It was sugar,” Viktor informed him gleefully.

“Sooo? How did it go?” Phichit asked before Yuuri even had the chance to sit down.

“It was hard work,” Yuuri said. “But… a lot of fun. I liked it.”

“Yuuko trapped me in her room so I couldn't get any pictures,” Phichit said, pouting.

“Maybe next time.”

“Ooh, really?”

“No, no!” Yuuri shoved Phichit's shoulder, blushing, and Minami and Yuuko laughed.

When dessert rolled around, Yuuri turned it down, saying he’d already snacked too much in the kitchen. Yuuko ate about twenty blondies, and Minami gushed about the pie.

“It’s so, so good!” he said, hair bobbing in his excitement. “Yuuri, you’ve _gotta_ keep cooking.”

Yuuri looked down the table and saw Yuri wolfing down a piece of nut cake, scowling. “Not bad,” he muttered around a mouthful.

Otabek looked at Yuuri and gave him a thumbs-up.

“Hey, Yuuri!” Viktor called, and Yuuri looked to see him waving a fork coated with a thin layer of chocolate. Viktor gestured to a half-eaten souffle with his fork and smiled widely.

“You excited for the group meditation this week?” Guang-Hong asked Yuuri.

“I almost forgot about it,” Yuuri admitted.

“We always get a special two-person one after,” JJ recalled.

“Maybe this year’s will be one that seals your partner’s mouth shut,” Yuuko teased.

Yuuri kept his eyes studiously averted from Viktor and had a nibble of one of Yuuko's blondies. (It tasted divine.)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the bit of a delay on this chapter!! I try and put out one or more a week, but with the SATs and everything I've been way too tired to write. But I stayed up late last night to finish this chap, and it's longer than usual, so that's my gift to you for being so kind and patient <3 <3
> 
> If you have any ideas or questions, drop a comment! There are a few questions I can't answer yet (;D) but I'll do my best. As always, thanks for your love and support ^-^
> 
> Extra:  
> I'm thinking of releasing a playlist on YouTube that is, in essence, Yuuri's "Emotion" collection. Would y'all be interested in that? :)


	22. Saturday, November 4th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> November is kicked off with a group meditation, and Yuuri has some doubts...

Saturday morning, Chris, Sara, Mickey, JJ, and Yuuko came to Yuuri’s room, with Yuuko in the lead as they practically broke down his door pounding on it.

“What’s the rush?” Yuuri complained as they all crowded in. “It isn't until tonight, right?”

“Well, yeah,” JJ said, “but we have to get registered first.”

“And the wait time is _so_ long,” Sara added. “We always try to get there early.”

They looked at him expectantly.

“Can I get dressed first?” Yuuri asked.

“Oh, oh yeah,” Yuuko said. “Come on, guys, we’ll wait in the hall.”

Yuuri climbed out of bed and rifled through his closet. A small smile curved his mouth, and a warm feeling settled near his heart.

 

That warm feeling had transformed into something far more jittery by the time Yuuri made his way down to the kitchens for his weekly assignment.

“Yuuri! Where were you at lunch?”

“I was working out. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” said Viktor. “I was just curious. Make sure you don’t skip any meals!” And, in the same breath: “Are you ready to bake again? We’ve got to be efficient, now, they moved dinner to be earlier to make room for the meditation-”

Yuuri sighed.

Viktor trailed a hand down his arm. “Yuuri, are you… nervous?”

“Wh-” Yuuri’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “What makes you say that?”

“Your hands are shaking.”

“I’m okay.”

“Yuuri.”

“I’m okay!”

“Why are you nervous? Is it… is it something I-”

“No!” Yuuri burst out. “I, um… sorry. I’m worried about… the group thing.”

Viktor’s eyebrows furrowed. “Huh? But group meditations are fun.”

“It seems really… intimate. The way Minako described it was like… you connect to everyone, and they can tell how you’re feeling, and I just…”

“Awh, Yuuri, you’re worried about that?” Viktor took Yuuri’s hand and tugged him towards the nearest counter, sitting the two of them down on the stools. “It _is_ a little overwhelming the first time, but it’s a great opportunity to hone your skills.”

“What if I lose control again?” Yuuri stared down at his hands. Viktor’s fingers were on his wrist. “I keep screwing up. I hurt Yurio last time.”

“You’ve been getting a lot better in practice,” Viktor said, “and besides, Yurio is fine, and he didn’t exactly do Otabek any favors.” Viktor squeezed the top of Yuuri’s hand. “It’s much easier to stay in control with other people to help. I know that sounds weird now, but you’ll understand what I mean after.”

Yuuri’s shoulders slumped, and Viktor squeezed his hand again.

“Don’t you trust me?”

 _Blind faith?_ Yuuri wondered again.

_No, not blind._

“I trust you,” he said.

 

“Awesome as always,” Phichit said as he polished off his second plate of dessert. “It’s gonna take me all week to work this off.”

“We decided to experiment with the éclairs today,” Yuuri said.

“Did you know that ‘éclair’ means ‘flash of lightning’ in French?” JJ said while shoving half of a magic cookie bar in his mouth. Yuuko rolled her eyes at Yuuri, who covered up his smile.

“Hey, that was mine, you dick!” Yuri snapped, punching JJ in the shoulder.

“I thought you didn’t like butterscotch, Yurio,” Viktor said.

“Don’t fucking _call_ me that,” Yuri said automatically. “I _don’t_ like butterscotch, but these are okay, I guess.”

“Yuuri made them,” Viktor said.

Yuri looked down the table at Yuuri, who gulped. But all Yuri said was “they’re pretty good” as he bit into another.

“That means he loves them,” Viktor called to Yuuri.

“Shut up, old man,” Yuri grumbled.

“We should hurry and finish soon, so we’re not late,” Sara said, folding up her napkin and looking over at Yuuri. “This is your first group meditation, right? Are you excited?”

Yuuri caught Viktor’s eye and smiled. “Yeah, I think I am.”

 

Mr. Qwu, their English, teacher, and Mr. Vigil came to the cafeteria to bring the Aere to a spacious practice room. Yuuri’s thoughts were rushing in circles, working themselves into a tangled mess, when Chris put a hand on his shoulder.

“Relax,” Chris said. “We’re right here with you.”

“Um…” Yuuri took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

Yuuko nudged him with her elbow. “You can sit next to me,” she whispered as the two teachers directed everyone to form a circle. Yuuri followed Yuuko to one side of the room and sat next to her.

It took a while, but eventually everyone formed a slightly messy, uneven circle. Mr. Qwu and Mr. Vigil sat near the center, back-to-back.

“Today we will be undergoing a connective meditation,” Mr. Qwu said, raising a hand. The lights dimmed, and the room fell silent.

“I would like you all to close your eyes and focus on your breathing,” Mr. Vigil said. “Don’t worry about any one pattern, just stay aware of your breath.”

Yuuri closed his eyes and shakily inhaled.

“Pretend as though you are the only person in this room. Look inward, and evaluate how you are feeling. Are you happy, content? Do you feel sad, or lonely?”

He did feel lonely, Yuuri decided, though the sound of his classmates breathing helped to ease the hollow ache.

“Accept this feeling. Let it dominate your body, let it run its course.”

Yuuri breathed.

“Think on any negative thoughts or feelings in your mind. Imagine them as specks of black dust, floating in a ray of bright sunlight. Any feelings of helplessness, fear, self-consciousness, or hatred… let them drift in that ray of light.

“Exhale, and let a gust of wind blow them away.”

Everyone let out a forceful breath. A few people giggled.

Mr. Qwu cleared his throat. “Please stay focused,” he said, and the room quieted again.

“Now, I’d like you to imagine positive thoughts and feelings as a warm liquid being poured over you. It can be any color: gold, rainbow, clear, whatever feels right. Imagine the liquid as starting in your mind and dripping down your body, slowly…”

Yuuri imagined the liquid as silver, and felt tension leak from his body as he imagined it traveling down his shoulders and nearing his chest.

“Let it pour down your chest, filling your heart… Now, down your arms, all the way to your fingertips… Past your core, filling it, and over your hips… Let it travel down your legs, to your toes, and let it stay there, filling your entire body.”

Somehow, despite the image of his body being filled, Yuuri felt light.

“Now, focus inward again, to your core, all that positive energy. I’d like you to take a deep breath and let your mind expand… imagine the liquid again, and let it extend out and away from you, like a pair of wings or an aura.”

That was harder. Yuuri tried to calm his mind, and shivered when a draft of cold air blew past. After a few minutes of effort, he was able to hang onto the image of a pair of silver wings extending from his back.

“I would like you all to take the hand of the person to your left and to your right. Keep your eyes closed.”

Yuuri found Yuuko’s hand, and the hand of the boy to his left. A thrill ran through his body. He almost pulled away when he felt the electric sensation of Magic running through him: the collective Magic of all his Aere classmates.

“If you can,” Mr. Vigil said, “relax the barriers of your mind. If you cannot do this on command, simply imagine a set of gates lowering or opening.”

As soon as the metaphorical gates in Yuuri’s mind swung open, he was assaulted with a confusing amalgamation of emotions: excitement, curiosity, anticipation. Yuuri winced, and a pang of anxiety rippled out from him. To his surprise, an overwhelming feeling of support rippled back.

“You may open your eyes.”

Yuuri opened his eyes and was met with the sight of Mr. Qwu standing up, a small bag in his hands.

“Good work,” he said. “Now, this week we have several newcomers in our midst. If at any point you feel you are losing control, pull your hands back and close your eyes. Is everyone ready?”

Nobody replied, but Mr. Qwu smiled. That feeling of anticipation increased tenfold.

“Your wings, your positivity, focus it forward, towards me,” Mr. Qwu said.

Yuuri’s hand instinctively tightened on Yuuko’s. He gently pushed his focus forward, and was delighted to feel the connected energy of his classmates, as Chris had said, right there with him.

“And… up!”

Mr. Qwu threw the sack high into the air, and a feeling of joy surged through the circle as their combined Magic chased the bag, plowing into it and releasing a bright burst of shining confetti.

“Keep that up there!” Mr. Vigil called.

Yuuri’s Magic was like fuel to a fire, or a breeze in a hurricane — the act of wrapping the confetti in air and swirling it in circles was effortless. He couldn’t hold back a laugh, and Yuuko pulled him to his feet as everyone jumped up, whooping and exclaiming.

The shining paper moved slowly at first but quickly morphed into a chaotic sort of hurricane. Everyone was laughing, their Magic spiraling off and dissipating, and the confetti rained down on them as people began to break the circle, leaping to grab at the pieces of paper.

Mr. Vigil and Mr. Qwu were smiling amidst the mayhem, Yuuri noticed. Mr. Vigil caught Yuuri’s eye and smiled, and Yuuri was about to smile back when Yuuko grabbed his shoulder and shook it.

“Hurry and help me!” she yelled above the noise, grinning and grasping at the air.

Somebody had opened a window, and snow was blowing in to mix with the color, white on rainbow. Yuuri snatched a heart-shaped bit and realized it had a message printed on it.

_Today is a day of healing and light. Spend time with those you love._

As it turned out, the more confetti you collected, the further up in line you were placed, and the person who collected the most got first dibs on partner meditation selection. Many people used their Magic to help them, so Yuuri was at a disadvantage there. By the time he reached the table of pamphlets, there were not many left. Yuuri took two at random and followed Yuuko from the room.

“That didn’t take very long,” Yuuri said as they headed to their rooms.

Yuuko gave him an odd look. “Yuuri, we were in there for almost forty minutes.”

“Really? It felt way shorter.”

“Did you have fun?”

“I did!” Yuuri said.

“The emotional connection is cool, right?”

“Yeah, it was cool,” Yuuri admitted. “It felt weird at first, but I didn’t feel… It felt safe.”

“It’s awesome, right? Oh, what partner meditation did you pick out?”

“There was barely anything left by the time I got there,” Yuuri said, looking down at the papers in his hand. “Um… “Guided Partner Meditations for Women,” and “Environmental Manipulation for Two.””

“Well, that first one won’t be much help,” Yuuko said. “What was that second one?”

Yuuri flicked through the pages of the pamphlet. “Oh. Cool.”

“C’mon, don’t leave me hanging,” Yuuko said, poking his arm.

“It’s something about getting out in nature and…” Yuuri trailed off as he read. “It’s supposed to be done with neutral or matching Magics, and the back says there are different versions for different environments. This one is with snow.”

“That’s so cool! Are you going to do it with Viktor?”

“I mean, maybe,” said Yuuri, cheeks going pink, “if he’s interested.”

“Of course I’m interested!” Viktor said from behind them, and Yuuri almost went into cardiac arrest.

Viktor stepped forward and linked his arm through Yuuri’s. “I got one of those, too! What a coincidence. Have you read it yet?”

“Just skimmed it,” Yuuri managed.

“We should definitely try it,” Viktor said.

Yuuri would have replied, but he didn’t trust his voice not to squeak.

  


It was ten minutes to lights-out, and Yuuri was standing in front of his mirror. The light of his lamp gleamed off its surface, and Yuuri’s reflection stared at him.

His hard work over the past month, Yuuri thought, was starting to show in his body. He’d stopped having the intense urge to fuel up on sugar whenever he became stressed, he’d become much better with his balance and accuracy both in dance and in self-defense, and he was proud to see that he’d slimmed down and was starting to develop some muscles in his legs, arms, and abs.

It had been a few weeks since he’d looked at his bruises, and the last time he’d showered, Yuuri hadn’t reapplied the salve or put the bandages back on. The skin near his ribs was mottled pink and faint yellow, and a little tender. The bruises on his face were completely gone, and the cut on his temple had faded to a thin white line.

He’d healed a lot, and he’d come a long way. He felt a bit of pride, which was quickly squelched when he looked in the mirror at his desk.

Yuuri turned around with a bit of trepidation, where that innocent-looking pamphlet was sitting, waiting to be read.

“You’re being dumb,” he said to himself, and flipped it open.

 

_Environmental Manipulation, a guided meditation for partners._

_Two individuals with the same Elemental type may refer to page eight of this booklet. Those with neutral Elemental types may refer to page six. Those with compatible Magics may refer to page three._

 

Yuuri turned to the third page (the second was a list of guidelines for “establishing boundaries”) and began to read:

 

_If you are reading this, congratulations! You have achieved the rare state of having a partner with Magic in synch with your own. Whether the two of you are friends, lovers, siblings, or even enemies, this is a fortunate occurrence that is enviable indeed._

_This meditation will be slightly different for you and your partner, because you will be able to, with the right focus, produce results more powerful and diverse than other partners._

_If you and your partner are of fire and earth, you may create high-burning fires from earthen materials ignited by flames, and with much practice, you may create lava to burn through any material imaginable… including your fingers! Practice this meditation with care._

_If you and your partner are of water and air, you may create clouds by whipping small amounts of water with large amounts of air into a condensed fog, and with much work you may be able to create focused snow, rain, and ice. (Note: Unda may create ice independently, but Aere are extremely useful in manipulating temperatures, especially concerning water.)_

_If you and your partner are of the rarest group of Magics that are not naturally compatible, I have no suggestions for you other than to consult your advisor(s) and proceed with caution._

 

The meditation itself seemed normal, though there was a bit too much eye-gazing and sensual touching for Yuuri’s blood pressure levels.

His pager buzzed, and Yuuri reached for it. It was Viktor. _Want to meet up top tomorrow at 5, after lunch?_

_We can use one of the protected rooms, right?_

_Where’s the fun in that?_

_The me-not-blowing-things-up part._

_Boring!! See you then?_

_See you then._

_Okay~_

Yuuri stared out his window at the darkened mountains as all the lights in the Northern Wing gradually turned off. He drilled punches and kicks until he was exhausted and sweaty, and set an early alarm before drifting off to sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this week's chapter!! It took some blood, sweat, and tears (*BTS vibes*) but when I couldn't find time to write, I MADE it. Spring break is coming up, and I have a crap-ton of college visits, and I'm also leaving this afternoon for Delaware. I'll do my best to work on this, but unfortunately, I can't make any promises for an update next week...
> 
> As always, if you have any ideas/questions drop a comment!!
> 
> As promised, here is the link to Yuuri's "Emotion" playlist. It is in progress, as is Yuuri's, so I hope you'll bear with any changes ^_^
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNgyazNfUrVWeyrmVmBsd0EbmZ16b6pZf 
> 
> Note:  
> I also wanted to acknowledge that I've hit 14,000 hits on my old fic, Rhythm of Love, which was a huge surprise!! And this fic is nearing 7,500 as well. I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all those who have read, kudos-ed, and commented on my writing. You are all my inspiration. Thank you <3 <3


	23. Monday, November 5th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some morning skating, Yuuri and Viktor try their hand at their partner meditation.

“You look tired,” Viktor said, coming to a stop beside Yuuri, who was fiddling with the laces of his skate. “Were you up early again?”

“Took a shower,” Yuuri said. He’d made it exceedingly cold, to keep himself from falling back to sleep.

“Minako told me you’ve been working on a performance piece?” Viktor asked.

“Yeah,” Yuuri said softly. 

“Will you show us sometime?” Viktor asked, reaching over the rails and rooting through his gym bag.

“I’m not ready yet.”

“But Yuuri, she told me you’ve been working on it all week!” Viktor produced a pair of leather gloves and pulled them on.

“What’s with the gloves?” Yuuko asked from the sidelines.

“Oh, these? I-”

“He wears them when he uses Magic,” Yuri said, “because he’s a fucking drama queen.”

“They keep my hands dry!”

Yuuri’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you need your hands to be dry?”

“I prefer the hands-off approach,” Viktor said.

Yuri snorted and Yuuri tried his best not to blush. As Viktor skated to the other side of the rink, Yuri tossed back half of his water bottle and slammed it down.

“He actually only started wearing those after he became your partner,” Yuri said.

“Huh?”

Yuri scowled. “You heard me.”

“But… why?”

“The fuck should I know?” Yuri pushed off from the rail. “Maybe so you won’t pass out when he puts his hands all over you.”

Yuuri spluttered something ridiculous, and Yuri skated off, looking frustratingly graceful. 

 

“You did well today!” Viktor said as they walked to the locker room.

Yuuri pulled off his skates, wincing when he touched a tender spot near his heel. “Thanks. You looked good, too.” (Viktor had illustrated how he could make the water in his water bottle freeze and melt, and had asked Yuuri to help him suspend it over the rink. Yuuri had subsequently lost focus and dropped the water, creating a slippery spot that Yuri had immediately skated over. Yuri had slipped and fallen on his face, yelling at Yuuri to “watch it” as soon as he recovered. It had been equal parts funny and embarrassing.)

“Are you sure you won’t try your performance piece on ice?” Viktor asked, looking back at Yuuri in the mirror. “I think it would look amazing!”

“It would involve changing the choreography,” said Yuuri, “and so much of it is airborne…”

“When you get better with your magic, you’ll be able to land jumps, no problem!”

Yuuri sighed.  _ “That _ won’t be for a while.”

Viktor patted his shoulder as he passed him on the way to the door. “I hope you’ll show me what you have, soon.”

Yuuri swallowed and nodded.

“See you at five?” Viktor said.

Yuuri nodded again, watching Viktor go. 

 

“Whaaat? You haven’t seen  _ any _ of my old pics?” Phichit snatched his camera from his bedside table. Yuuri had gone to the South Wing to visit him, and though Yuuri had gotten hopelessly lost at a few points, Phichit messaged him directions and everything turned out fine.

“Gimme a sec,” Phichit said, furiously pressing buttons. 

“How long have you been taking photos?”

“Oh, since I was about ten,” Phichit said. “Aha, here we go! I’ve got a lot of one’s of Viktor, he was my main model when I was a first-year.”

“Really?” Yuuri said, trying and failing to sound only  _ mildly _ interested.

Phichit handed the device to Yuuri, who took it and gaped at the picture on the screen.

“Wh…”

“Wow, you should see you face right now.” Phichit grinned as Yuuri clicked through the photos. “Yeah, Viktor had long hair for a while! He cut it about two years ago, I think.”

_ “Why?” _ Yuuri asked, because the more pictures he saw, the more convinced he became that Viktor Nikiforov was the most beautiful person on Earth.

Phichit shrugged. “No one knows. He looked good, though, didn’t he?”

“I mean, yeah, but he looks good now, too,” Yuuri said absently. A photo of Yuri came up, with his green eyes in high focus. His face was close to the screen, his hair was wet and hanging by his face, and he looked… uncharacteristically vulnerable.

“Took that one at the hot springs,” Phichit said, leaning over Yuuri’s shoulder and smiling. “That was the day Yurio met Otabek, I think. Pretty sure he was in shock.”

Yuuri checked his watch. “Crap. Sorry to cut and run, Phichit, but I have to meet Viktor in a few minutes.”

“It’s that partner meditation, right?”

“Has he been telling everyone?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Phichit said. “He seems really excited.”

A warm feeling bloomed in Yuuri’s chest. “Yeah. Um, see you.”

Phichit grinned, more than a little mischievously. “Have fun!”

It was deserted up top, and Viktor was waiting for Yuuri close to the door. Despite Yuuri’s nervousness, Viktor insisted they do the meditation out in the open.

“What’s the point of trying to make a cloud indoors?” he argued.

“What if I lose control?” Yuuri countered.

“I’ll help you,” Viktor said.

A blast of wind whipped at their hair, and Yuuri was grateful he’d worn his heaviest coat. The sky was mostly clear, but it was still bitingly cold.

“How should we start?” Yuuri asked, looking away from Viktor and scratching one of his shoulders.

“Let’s begin with our breathing,” said Viktor. “We can get to the specificities in a minute.”

Yuuri wondered how Viktor said ‘specificities’ without tripping over the syllables. He sat down on the ground, crossing his legs, and Viktor sat down across from him. He reached forward to touch the backs of Yuuri’s hands, and Yuuri’s breath hitched.

“Is this okay?”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said softly. He turned his hands over and curled his fingers up, hooking them with Viktor’s and glanced up over the frames of his glasses.

Viktor was looking at him. His eyes were soft, and he was smiling.

_ Calm down, calm down.  _ Yuuri’s heart felt like it was creeping up his throat. With some effort, he forced himself to look into Viktor’s face.

Viktor’s smile was gentle. “You can close your eyes, if that helps you focus.”

Yuuri nodded, closing his eyes. He became hyperaware of the feeling of Viktor’s hands, and Viktor’s breathing, which was somehow soothing. Yuuri’s own breaths evened out.

They sat for a few minutes, breathing and getting a feel for each other. Viktor exhaled, and Yuuri peeked one eye open to see that Viktor was looking down at the booklet, which he had left flipped open and pinned partially under one of his knees. Yuuri closed his eyes before Viktor could look back.

“What we should try to do,” Viktor said, “is combine a small amount of water with a lot of moving air. Since it’s so cold, I brought out some extra water…”

Yuuri shivered when he felt the familiar buzz of Viktor’s Magic touch with his own.

“Try and focus on the air above us,” Viktor suggested. “Choose an area, and start to move the air in a spiral shape.”

“We haven’t done a lot like this in class,” said Yuuri, biting his upper lip as he struggled for focus. 

His Magic flared up, and Yuuri flinched, but the weight of Viktor’s hands reassured him, and helped him stay focused. He tried again, reaching to the air above them, and slowly exhaled as he tried to move it.

“Sorry, can I try something?” Yuuri asked, keeping his eyes squeezed shut.

“Sure, go ahead,” Viktor said.

Yuuri let go of Viktor with one hand and lifted it up, making a circular motion with two fingers that probably looked completely ridiculous. The air above him made a whooshing sound as it picked up speed.

“Great job,” Viktor said, putting his free hand on Yuuri’s knee. “Stay with me, stay focused.”

Yuuri didn’t respond, but nodded, shivering again when Viktor’s Magic crept up his arm. The sensation was odd, not altogether uncomfortable.

For a minute, Yuuri kept up the movement, and waves of Magic were shared between them. Yuuri and Viktor’s breaths were in synch.

Then, something cold landed on Yuuri’s nose.

“Don’t break focus,” Viktor whispered, “but open your eyes.”

Yuuri did, and immediately noticed the sunlight on the ground around him and Viktor was wavering. He then noticed that a large, wispy cloud was hovering over their heads, and snow was cascading down onto the two of them.

“How…?” he breathed.

“I changed the temperature,” Viktor said, squeezing Yuuri’s hands. “Amazing, right?”

Yuuri looked down from the cloud, at Viktor, who was staring straight at him. His eyes were shining, and snowflakes were sticking to his hair and eyelashes, and for a minute Yuuri forgot how to breathe.

As the cloud began to dissipate, Viktor stood and offered Yuuri his hand. The setting sun lit him up from behind, gleaming off his hair and the tiny crystals melting in it.

Though it was freezing, and the wind was surely ice-cold, when Yuuri took Viktor’s hand, he was sure he’d never felt warmer in his life.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to let y'all know that one of my favorite songs, "History on Ice" by Celica Soldream, has been taken down by a Japanese company over copyright issues. I'm sad, because it's such a moving cover, but I'm leaving the video on the playlist in case she re-uploads. (Edit: the video is back up! Please consider watching it, it's a masterpiece, and the effects are gorgeous <3)
> 
> I added a few new songs to the playlist! Anyone who missed it last chapter, you can find it here: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNgyazNfUrVWeyrmVmBsd0EbmZ16b6pZf
> 
> Sorry this took so long to get out! It's been freaking *hectic* for a while now. And I've still got AP exams and finals coming right up... sigh... At least summer is (relatively) close!!
> 
> I have several ideas lined up for the next few chapters, and I've decided on the timeline for the rest of this fic. If you have any questions or ideas you think would be cool to incorporate, drop a comment! Thanks for the love and support; in my opinion, this fic is the most worthwhile stress in my life right now <3 <3


	24. Sunday, November 11th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri agonizes over what his strength level will be, and his strength test produces interesting results...

Minako put her elbows on her desk, leaning across it. “How has your week been, Yuuri?”

“Busy,” Yuuri said, “but nothing I can’t handle. I’m guessing this is about the strength test tonight?”

“What, I’m not allowed to talk to my students?” Minako’s grin was teasing, but it faded quickly. “Actually, you’re right. I wanted to let you know what to expect.”

“Mr. Vigil told me a little about it. It sounds kind of…” Yuuri trailed off.

“I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, Yuuri, it usually feels relatively odd.” Minako took a deep breath. “In essence, it’s donation, but with donation you stop before you drain yourself too much. With a strength test, your Magic is drained at a steady level until you cannot give any more.”

“That’s-”

“It’s really not so bad,” Minako said quickly. “You’re tired for a few days, but your Magic will regenerate quickly, since you’re young.”

He still felt confused. “How do you measure the power level?”

“Well, it’s mostly based on how long you can have your Magic drained at a steady rate,” said Minako. “Your strength is based on how much Magic your body can hold at any given time. Sometimes we call it a “reservoir.” Most people of medium power last about a minute. Some last less than thirty seconds.”

“Who’s lasted the longest?”

“Don’t tell them I told you,” Minako said, “because Yurio hates being reminded. Viktor lasted until about two and a half minutes, and Yurio was a little over twenty seconds behind.” Seeing the look on Yuuri’s face, Minako pushed on. “Yuuri, relax! It’ll be fine, no matter your results.”

“Do I have to do it?” Yuuri asked, wincing at how whiny he sounded.

Minako sighed. “It’s kind of early in your career, but Atlas insisted. And it’s not all bad, right? I mean, aren’t you curious?”

“I’m sort of worried,” Yuuri admitted. “Everyone says Sorano is so strong. What if I’m… not strong enough?”

“Having a low power level isn’t a bad thing,” Minako said. “It’s possible you might have a lower power level, what with you being a second-gen and all.”

“But I…” Yuuri chewed on his lower lip. “I’ll let Viktor down.”

“Yuuri, Viktor won’t care,” said Minako.

_I’ll care._

The bell rang, and Minako glanced at the clock.

“I recommend you go back to your room and try to get a nap in,” she said. “Meet us in the donation room at 5:30, alright?”

Yuuri nodded and took the Ramp to the Sphaer-up. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink.

 

When he drew near the door to the donation room, Yuuri was dismayed to see Viktor, Yuri, Yuuko, Phichit, Otabek, and Minami waiting for him.

“What are you all doing here?” he spluttered, trying to hide his panic.

“We’re here to support you, of course!” Yuuko said. “You’d do the same for us, right?”

“We were all there for each other at ours,” Minami piped up.

Phichit snickered. “Hey, remember Yurio’s?”

“How could we forget?” Viktor said, smiling.

“Shut the hell up,” Yuri said. “It’s not my fucking fault the fuses blew.”

“We lost power school-wide for twelve hours,” Minami said to Yuuri.

Minako approached them from behind and held up a key. “Ready?”

“I guess,” Yuuri said.

Viktor put a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “Yuuri, it’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”

Yuuri nodded, hesitantly brushing against Viktor’s fingers but unable to look him in the eye.

The donation room was relatively small, with a lowered section in the center. Minako gestured to it. “Stand in there, and I’ll coach you through it, okay?”

For some reason, the air felt dry and cold. Yuuri shivered as he followed Minako’s directions. His friends lined up against the wall, mostly because there wasn’t enough room for everyone to stand comfortably. Yuuri felt like there was an invisible spotlight on him.

He flinched as two pillars rose from the floor on either side of him. They stopped at the level of his hips, and Yuuri noticed a series of silver straps attached to the tops.

“Put your hands there,” Minako said. Yuuri glanced over at her, noticing she was standing at a small panel near the only window in the room. The room seemed to shrink around him.

Yuuri gingerly touched the flat tops of the pillars, and cringed when the straps curled around his hands in a fluid motion, up his wrists and between his fingers. In seconds, they had woven together, trapping him.

“Don’t panic,” Minako said, and Yuuri trembled. He glanced over at his friends and his eyes found Viktor’s. A faint wave of calm washed over him, and Yuuri relaxed, marginally.

“Activating,” Minako called.

Everything went silent, and Yuuri held his breath, expecting the worst.

What he felt was a sliding sensation, running from his core down his arms. It felt like hot wind, forcibly pulled through his body, but it didn’t hurt. The straps were glowing. Yuuri realized _he_ was glowing, a dull silver aura surrounding him.

Seconds ticked past. Blood pounded in Yuuri’s temples, and the pulling continued.

 _Shouldn’t it have stopped by now?_ Yuuri looked up and noticed everyone was watching him.

His voice was small. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Yuuri,” Viktor said.

“Yes, you’re doing fine,” Minako said, looking down at the controls.

Time slowed. Nobody moved. A cold sweat broke out on Yuuri’s forehead, and the pulling sensation seemed to increase. His legs wobbled.

Finally, the sucking feeling weakened, and Minako flipped a switch. The straps pulled back from his hands, and Yuuri braced himself on one of the pillars.

Viktor was at his side in an instant. “How do you feel? Can you stand?”

Yuuri waved him off, taking a few unsteady steps towards Minako.

“How long?”

She gave him an unreadable look, then glanced at the display, and then back to him. “Two minutes and nineteen seconds.”

Yuri snarled several swears, Minami grinned and turned his pager on, and Phichit and Yuuko began whispering excitedly to each other. Otabek bent down and whispered something into Yuri’s ear, and Yuri shot Yuuri a dark glower.

“I’ll get re-tested,” he said. “No way this moron has a higher power level than me.”

“Yura,” Otabek said.

Though he still looked angry, Yuri looked away, folding his arms. “Whatever.”

“May I remind you, his grade in Math is _way_ higher than yours,” Phichit said.

“Shut it, you… hamster creep!”

“Yuuri?” Viktor said, placing a bracing hand to Yuuri’s lower back. “Minako, should I take him to the nurse?”

“No, I asked her to drop by his room to check on him later,” Minako said. “Could you guys bring him back up? If anything happens, page me or Headmaster Atlas.”

“No need,” came the voice of Headmaster Atlas. “I can escort them up myself.”

“Whatever you think is best, Headmaster,” Minako said. “Yuuri, you lucid?”

“Sort of…” Yuuri leaned into Viktor.

“Your schedule is cleared for tomorrow, so get some rest,” she said. “But I expect to see you on Tuesday!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Yuuri murmured, allowing Viktor and his friends to guide him from the room.

Headmaster Atlas walked next to them, and slightly behind. Yuuri wasn’t sure why he was there, because he hadn’t said a word to them so far, but his head was beginning to spin and he didn’t think he cared that much.

“Let us know how Yuuri is doing!” Phichit said to Viktor as they neared the Sphaer-up.

“I will,” Viktor said, and they parted ways.

“Your Magic really is similar to Sorano’s,” the Headmaster said when they reached the door to Yuuri’s room.

“Mm,” Yuuri managed, lifting his hand to open his door. To his dismay, no Magic rose to spark at his fingertips. He tried again, and hissed when a sharp pain pinched near his heart.

“Headmaster, would it be alright if he slept in my room tonight?” Viktor’s voice was hushed. “I know it’s against the rules, but he’s so tired…”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Headmaster Atlas said. “You _are_ partners, after all. I wish you both a restful night. And please, Mr. Nikiforov, keep an eye on him until the nurse arrives.”

“Yes, of course.”

Yuuri’s vision was beginning to swim. He gripped Viktor’s shirt tighter, twisting his fingers into the fabric.

“I’m sure you know from experience how difficult this can be,” said the Headmaster, “and the… possible complications involved.”

“How could I forget?” There was a hint of bitterness in Viktor’s voice.

It was a struggle to keep from falling asleep standing up. Yuuri forced his eyes open and tried to focus on his breathing. He heard the sound of a door opening, and Viktor pulled him forward.

“Sit,” said Viktor, and Yuuri blinked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Hi,” Yuuri said stupidly, unable to tear his eyes away from Viktor. In the lamplight, Viktor’s hair looked gold in places, and his face was cast in shadow. He looked like a painting, something you could stare at for hours.

Viktor removed Yuuri’s sneakers and lifted his glasses from his face. “Are you tired?”

“Yeah.” Yuuri hoped his feet weren’t sweaty. “What is it with me and making you take care of me?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Viktor said. “I don’t mind.”

“I hope I get to return the favor soon,” Yuuri said. A heavy weight settled on the top of his head.

Gloved fingers brushed Yuuri’s hair back from his face, and Yuuri went almost cross-eyed looking at them.

“Why’re you…” Yuuri’s eyelids began to lower.

“Hmm?”

Yuuri patted the soft leather covering Viktor’s hands.

“Oh. I don’t want you to react badly to my Magic, is all,” Viktor said.

“But I…”

“Shhh, go to sleep. It’s fine.”

The world tilted sideways, and Viktor jumped forward, hands slipping behind Yuuri’s head and back before he could hit the wall. He lowered Yuuri until he was lying down, and Yuuri fell into a light sleep.

 

When Yuuri woke again, the room was dark and cold. Had Viktor opened the window? He shivered and shifted, pulling the blankets further up his body.

“Yuuri?” came the sleepy voice of Viktor. “Are you awake?”

“Mmn…” Yuuri rolled over and looked at Viktor, who was sitting half-upright at his desk, rubbing his eyes. The faint glow of the moon was the only light.

“Are you okay?” Viktor asked.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Yuuri looked around the blurry room. “Where’s the nurse?”

“Oh, she came and went,” Viktor said. “Apparently your oxygen levels are a little low, and your blood is all messed up, but she said it wasn’t urgent enough for medicine. I have strict instructions to keep you warm, though.”

Viktor clicked on a light, and Yuuri winced, moving an arm to cover his eyes. When he moved his arm a minute later, Viktor had leaned close to his face and was examining him.

“Your lips are blue,” he said.

Yuuri couldn’t respond. He couldn’t tear his eyes from Viktor’s lips, which were not blue but pink, and looked like they’d taste sweet-

“I’m cold,” Yuuri admitted, turning his head away from Viktor.

“Oh! I have extra blankets,” Viktor said, rushing over to his closet and rifling through it.

“I remember the night after _my_ strength test,” he said, voice muffled. “I was awake all night, freezing cold and hallucinating like all hell. Chris was there with me, but as he tells it, it took hours to convince me to try and sleep.” He turned back around, arms full of a large comforter. “I was apparently very excited about the puppies on the ceiling.”

Yuuri was pretty sure he was supposed to laugh. but instead he buried his face in Viktor’s pillow. He inhaled, and the sweet, familiar smell of Viktor had a calming effect on him; fresh, not flowery, but unique. Yuuri liked it a lot. He made a small noise.

“Did you say something?”

“You. Smells like you,” Yuuri said softly, a wave of shivers traveling down his body. His breaths came quick and shaking.

Wordlessly, Viktor placed the heavy blanket over Yuuri, which somehow made him feel even colder.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything else?”

“Kind of thirsty,” Yuuri mumbled, tucking his head into the blankets.

“I have water,” Viktor said. “Come on out, Yuuri, you need to stay hydrated.”

Yuuri snaked his hand out of the blanket and felt around. A bottle was placed in it, and Yuuri pulled his hand back and clumsily took a sip, choking and spilling freezing water onto himself in the process.

Viktor pulled back the blanket, and Yuuri whimpered at the sudden gust of air. He couldn’t see straight, let alone think straight. All he knew was he was cold.

He allowed Viktor to strip him of his shirt, shivering the whole time. Viktor tucked the blanket back over him and went back to the desk, flipping the light off and sitting down, presumably to sleep again.

“Viktor,” Yuuri whispered.

“Yes, Yuuri?” It was easy to tell from his voice that Viktor’s patience was wearing thin. It was very late, after all.

Attempting to shrink into himself, Yuuri said in a tiny voice: “You shouldn’t sleep at a desk. It’s not good for you.”

“Huh?”

“I mean…” Yuuri was losing track of his train of thought. Snow was drifting in the corners of the room. “It’s snowy in here. You shouldn’t be there all alone.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Viktor assured him. “Just relax, try and get some sleep.”

“There might be animals,” Yuuri whispered, conspiratorially. “Strength in numbers.”

“Are you asking me to… share a bed with you?”

“For survival purposes,” Yuuri clarified. “Plus, it’s your bed. And I’m cold…”

“Yuuri…”

Yuuri didn’t reply, but lifted the edge of the blanket a few inches.

After hesitating for what seemed like forever, Viktor’s blurry outline approached the bed. Yuuri stiffened as Viktor lifted the covers, at once terrified that he’d overstepped his boundaries, screwed up _everything,_ sure that Viktor was annoyed at his clinginess, his weakness.

“Are you alright?” Viktor said in a low voice. “Did I scare you?”

“No,” Yuuri lied. He was still shaking, and he wasn’t sure how much of it was from his anxiety and how much of it was from the cold.

Viktor folded the blanket over the both of them. Yuuri did his best not to react when Viktor slid his arms around him, pulling them closer together.

“Is this okay?” Viktor asked from above him, voice cracking on the last syllable. “Are you uncomfortable?”

He wasn’t cold anymore. Viktor was like a furnace, burning brighter than Yuuri could bear to look at. The sound of his heartbeat hammering was louder than all else, but within seconds Yuuri realized that Viktor’s heart was beating just as hard.

Something about the moment made the silence seem sacred. It felt like a time where joyful music would be playing, something transformative, to try and capture this forever.

“Warm,” Yuuri said, softly as he could, and reached to touch Viktor’s arm.

  
He barely slept that night, but passed the time warm, safe. Sometime around sunrise, he closed his eyes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it seems like I'm overpowering Yuuri... I've had a couple people say that :( It's not like a high power level makes you automatically "better" at control or technique than someone with a lower power level -- I mean, look at Otabek! Though his power level is low, his control is near-perfect, and he's able to balance with Yuri.
> 
> As predicted, I am procrastinating hardcore on studying for the AP exams. I mean, I've been doing little bits of review here and there, but I won't start studying in earnest until next week, probably. To everyone with finals and other exams coming up, best of luck!!! :)
> 
> If you have any questions or suggestions, leave a comment! Thank you all for your continued support, and for nearly 8,000 views. I have a list of ideas for upcoming chapters, but if there's anything you're especially interested in, I can give it priority. I love writing for you all <3 <3


	25. Thursday, November 15th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor suggests the revival of a tradition to include Yuuri, and Yuuri finally agrees to go to the hot springs.

Mickey, Sara, Mila, and Emil were sitting in a group, passing flashcards back and forth. Yuuko and JJ were sitting on a couch, texting on their pagers and ignoring the homework lying nearby. Minami was chatting animatedly at Seung-gil, who was immersed in his History textbook.

Viktor came up behind Yuuri and perched on the arm of his chair. “How’s your poem coming?” he asked.

“I finished it,” Yuuri said.

“Really?” Viktor sighed. “I haven’t even started. I can’t think of anything to write about.”

“I’m sure you will,” Yuuri said.

“What are you doing?”

“Reading.” Yuuri bookmarked his page and closed the novel.

Viktor glanced at the cover. “The _Uncensored?”_

Yuuri blushed. “Yeah, I know. It’s just… there are still so many things I still don’t know, and I-”

“You don’t have to explain,” Viktor said, smiling. “If there’s anything you’re confused about, you can always ask me!”

Yuuko appeared on Yuuri’s other side. “Hey, guys, what’s up?”  

“Not much,” said Viktor. “I was just telling Yuuri how we should meet up at the hot springs sometime this week.”

“You were _not,”_ Yuuri began, but he was interrupted by Minami when he began bouncing up and down in excitement.

“Please, Yuuri, please??” he begged. “It’s so awesome, we sometimes have this thing where we have a massive snowball fight, then we run to the springs to warm up.”

“Don’t you have to get permission from the school?” Yuuri asked, recalling an entry in the rulebook.

“Well, yeah, if you want to use the bigger springs, the ones that are inside,” Yuuko said. “Usually a teacher will leave cocoa or cider, and that’s always fun. But if you want to use the other ones, you don’t need permission.”

“Other ones?”

Seung-gil, for the first time since Yuuri had met him, spoke voluntarily. “There is a hot spring about two miles from the school. We’re permitted to go, as long as we’re in groups.”

Everyone gaped at him. Mila dropped a stack of flashcards.

Seung-gil turned back to his textbook.

Viktor broke the stunned silence. “Want to come with us?”

“Fine,” said Seung-gil, and Yuuko bent down to whisper in Yuuri’s ear.

“Phichit is going to flip,” she said. “God, I wish I’d gotten that on film.”

“Huh?”

“In the whole time I’ve been at Apricus, Seung-gil has probably said less than twenty words of his own volition,” Viktor said.

“I can hear you, you know,” Seung-gil said, eyes glued to his textbook, and everyone scurried back to their homework.

 

Yuuri was standing in front of the mirror, staring at the contact case he’d received from his parents, when his pager buzzed in his pocket. It was a message from Phichit: _U down 4 the springs 2morrow @ 4?_

 _Sounds fun,_ Yuuri typed.

_Cool, i’ll come pick u up b4. Glad ur feeling better :)_

_What? You mean after Sunday? I mean, I was pretty weak afterwards, but I think I’m fine now…_ Yuuri had stayed bedridden for an entire day, and barely remembered anything besides fuzzy dreams when he woke up again.

_Lol, I meant about ur body, but that 2~_

Yuuri wasn’t sure how to feel about that, let alone respond to it. So he said _see you then_ and turned off his pager.

As he clicked open the contact case, a slip of paper fell out. After skimming it, Yuuri opened the smaller case inside, cringing at the thought of touching his own eye. After several minutes of stabbing himself in the eye, cursing, and trying not to cry, Yuuri managed to get the right one in, and soon after the left. Blinking furiously, he stared at his reflection, astonished to be able to see himself without glasses for the first time.

He messaged Yuuko. _Are you going to be at the springs tomorrow?_

 _Nah, that’s usually a boys-only thing,_ she said. _Besides, Sara and Mila and I always have fun with a girl’s night. Sometimes we’ll join in the snowball fight, but probably not this time. Why?_

_I wanted to ask your advice on something…_

_Fire away =)_

_Should I wear my contacts? I tried them on, just now._

_Ooh, send a pic!! (Don’t worry, I won’t send it to Phichit.)_

_Or Viktor?_

_Or Viktor =|_

Yuuri took a picture of himself in the mirror and, before he could second-guess himself, sent it. _Oh god, I just took a mirror selfie, didn’t I??_

_Yuuri!! You look great!! I mean, you look great normally but… wow =3_

_Stop, stop, you don’t have to flatter me…_

_You’re so sweet,_ Yuuko wrote. _Are you SURE I can’t send this to Viktor…?_

_Yuuko!!!_

_OK, OK, have it your way!!_

_Should I wear them at dinner?_ _  
_

_I mean, it’s up to you. If you want to keep it a surprise…_

Yuuri thought about it for a minute. _I think I’ll wait. I mean, I don’t think anyone will notice, anyways._

_Are you kidding me?? Viktor’s going to notice in a SECOND. You’ll see._

_Yeah, yeah, okay. See you later._

He indulged in a vain moment of admiring how different he looked without his glasses, then decided to head to room 504. Something besides Magic was itching at him.

 

The next morning, Yuuri was rudely awakened by a series of messages that vibrated his pager onto the floor. He squinted at the screen, pulled up iM, and shrieked when he saw Phichit’s latest Sniper Special:

_@yuuri_katsuki might want to think about choosing a different place to work his routines, bc I’ve got a gr9 vantage pt here #sniperspecial #viktuuri_

_PHICHIT, WHY DID YOU TAG IT #VIKTUURI???!!!!!_

_Whoooooops…_

**_PHICHIT._ **

_Check the comments b4 u get 2 mad :3_

The top comment was from v_nikiforov. _Wow, @yuuri_katsuki, looking great!! I’m sad Phichit has seen you dancing before I have… 3:_

Yuuri groaned. _pHICHIT!!!!!!!!!_

_Aw, you love me <3 I’ll come 2 ur room @ 3:45ish. Dress warm :D _

 

Fumbling with the buttons on his coat, Yuuri looked up as someone began banging on his door.

“One sec!” Yuuri called, reaching for his gloves.

Phichit’s face was flushed, and he had a golden scarf tied around his arm. “You ready?” he panted.

“Yeah” was all Yuuri had time to say before Phichit grabbed him by the wrist and towed him down the hall.

They barely slowed until they reached the Sphaer-up. “You’re on my team,” he informed Yuuri as they began their descent.

“So, what are the rules? If you’re hit, are you out?”

Phichit cackled. “There are no rules!”

“That sounds a little foreboding…”

“It’s fun, I promise,” said Phichit, “and before you ask, Viktor is on our team, and Yurio has vowed to destroy you.”

“Great,” Yuuri said, half-sincere and half-nervous.

Phichit led him from the Center down a hall that Yuuri assumed was for classrooms. It wasn’t; it led outside, and the second Yuuri was blinded by the sun, he and Phichit were pelted with snowballs.

“Take cover!” Phichit shrieked, diving to the ground.

Instead of diving, Yuuri fell back on his self-defense training, arms shooting up to block the oncoming barrage. It had been a good call to wear his contacts — if he’d had his glasses on, they’d have been made useless by the flying snow.

He spotted Phichit army-crawling towards a flimsy-looking snow fort, and quickly followed. He punched a snowball from the air from a foot away, which must have looked very cool (though that was overshadowed by the fact that another smashed into his temple a second later.)

Viktor was packing snow onto the tops and sides of the wall facing the other team, his gloves clenched in his teeth as he used his hands to freeze the snow into ice.

“How’s that working for ya?” Phichit asked, forming a lumpy snowball with both hands.

“Not very well.” Viktor cupped his hands and breathed warm air onto them, then looked up and noticed Yuuri. “There you are, Yuuri! Where are your glasses?”

 _Yuuko was right._ “I’ve got contacts in.”

Viktor stared at him for a long minute, eyes darting across his face, and Yuuri was scrambling to think of something to say when a section of the right wall crumbled on top of them.

“Quick, hurry and help me!” Phichit started rebuilding it, and Yuuri, thankful for the opportunity to escape, joined him.

“Where is everyone else?” Yuuri asked.

“Otabek, Leo, JJ, and Minami are in the trenches we dug earlier,” Viktor piped up from behind him.

“We were supposed to get the extra guy, because Yurio is a machine,” Phichit said, “but Alexandre was “captured” by the enemy.”

“He’s probably cuddling up with Chris somewhere,” Viktor lamented.

With the help of Yuuri’s unsteady Magic, Viktor and Phichit made the walls of the fort much thicker and stronger. Yuuri made a small hole to peek through, and saw another fort similar to theirs about twenty feet away. He also saw flashes of Minami’s bright hair and JJ’s bright purple hat among the flying snow.

“Five minute truce!” yelled someone (possibly Chris) from the other fort.

JJ, Leo, Otabek, and Minami scrambled behind the half-fort, gasping for breath.

“We’re getting wrecked out there,” Leo said, raking back his soggy hair. “We need a better plan.”

“Wanna rush ‘em?” Minami grinned.

“We might have to,” Otabek said.

“Oh, you just want to get to your boyfriend,” Viktor said, playfully bumping Otabek’s shoulder.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Otabek replied, stone-faced.

“Whatever you say, _Beka,”_ JJ said, and Otabek glowered at him.

“What’s ‘rushing?’” Yuuri asked.

“Hey, guys, he wants to know what rushing is,” Phichit said. “Wanna show him?”

“Phichit-” Viktor started to object, but Phichit was on a mission.

“Okay, Yuuri: _th_ _is_ is rushing! _CHARGE!”_

The entire group rushed out from the fort with no warning whatsoever. Phichit tugged Yuuri along, and Yuuri threw Viktor, who was bringing up the rear, a panicked look. Viktor simply shrugged and laughed.

JJ and Minami screamed a battle cry, and Phichit released Yuuri as they descended on the other team’s snow fort. Yuuri wisely took a step back and watched Yuri look out from the side of the fort and start to say “What the f-” before everyone leapt for them.

Yuuri ducks as a snowball flies from the snowy fray, and scoops up some snow to retaliate. He can barely make out who is who as snow was kicked up everywhere, sparkling in the setting sun.

Of course, he quickly became caught up in the beauty of his surroundings, and Yuuri realized belatedly that he should’ve paid more attention as a large snowball nailed him square in the face.

Viktor appeared as the snow began to settle, cheerfully removing the snow caked all over him. “You’ve got a little…” He brushed some snow from Yuuri’s forehead.

“Thanks,” Yuuri said, flicking some snow from the top of Viktor’s shoulders. Viktor was completely soaked, water trickling down his face and snow melting all over him.

“Hey, Yuuri, why the fuck were you just standing there?” Yuri actually had a bit of blood on his face, his hair sopping, and his nose was bright red with cold.

It took Yuuri a second to respond, seeing as Yuri had never used his actual name to address him before. Finally, he said, “Sorry, I’m not a huge fan of close-quarters combat…”

“Yuuri was our sniper!” Phichit said, shaking his head like a wet dog.

“Some sniper,” Yuri griped, but with no real malice behind his words. In fact, he was half-smiling, though that morphed into a glower when Otabek nudged him, whispering something in his ear.

Everyone was starting to shiver as the cold set in, and Chris finally clapped his hands together, making a hollow noise.

“Okay, then, last one to the springs has to do a half-mile streak!” he called, taking off.

“Hurry, Yuuri!” Viktor said as he pulled Yuuri forward, breathless and laughing. By the time they reached the springs, Yuuri was breathless and laughing, too.

“You’re last!” Chris crowed.

“Later, later,” Viktor said, shivering out of his coat.

Yuuri looked around and saw there was a low fence surrounding a sizeable pool. Steam floated in the air above it, and a few small shelves were the only place to store clothes. To Yuuri’s dismay, there were no changing rooms… not even a shed.

Everyone else was shucking off their heavy coats and ice-stiff pants, and Yuuri was coming to realize that this moment was going to hit the top five list of “Most Awkward Moments in Yuuri Katsuki’s Life.”

Viktor glanced at Yuuri as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Yuuri? You can’t bathe in your clothes, you know,” he teased.

Top _three_ list, Yuuri decided, flushing a deep red.

“Yeah, I know,” he managed to mumble, slowly starting to unbutton his coat.

Alexandre made an odd noise, somewhere between a shriek and a groan, and Yuuri glanced over to see Chris had crept up behind his boyfriend and grabbed a handful of his butt.

“Chris,” Alexandre gasped, swatting his hand away.

“Oh, you like it,” Chris said, grinning.

Yuuri took the opportunity to strip and slip into the springs while everyone was distracted. It made him feel a little better that the sun had half-set, so everything was cast in partial shadow. He stepped down into the hot water and hissed as it stung his skin.

A ripple of water brushed against his arm as Viktor sat down next to him. “Are you having fun, Yuuri?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri murmured, heart pounding.

Phichit is standing by the fence, shivering like mad, holding a weird-looking stick high in the air. On the end of the stick is his pager.

“Smile, guys!” Phichit said. 

Viktor threw an arm around Yuuri’s shoulders, pulling him close, and Yuuri squeaked, too shocked to do much but blink as Phichit snapped several photos.

Yuuri scrambled to think of something to say as Viktor’s hand burned near his collarbone, and as he was scrambling, Yuri and Otabek were arming themselves with snowballs.

“Hey, why are you wearing bathing suits?” Chris complained. “C’mon, guys, it’s nude or nothing.”

“Said nobody _ever,”_ Yuri snapped, whipping a handful of snow at Chris’ head. Chris easily knocked it aside with a gust of air, splattering Mickey, who shrieked loud enough to send Emil into a fit of laughter.

A miniature snowball fight ensued, and Viktor used water from the hot springs to keep him and Yuuri sheltered. Yuuri finally gave up on the idea of fainting in Viktor’s arms, because he was warm and comfortable and buzzing with adrenaline, and sort of wished Viktor would stay next to him forever.

The sun set, and everyone spread out in the springs, talking quietly and winding down. Yuuri tipped his head back and stared at the stars through the haze of steam.

“Beautiful, mm?”

Yuuri looked over at Viktor. Lamps were lit here and there on the fence, casting a soft glow over the springs. Viktor was looking at the stars, and for some reason, Yuuri couldn’t look away from the delicate silver of his eyelashes, and the soft curve of his lips.

“Yeah,” he said, voice hushed. “Beautiful.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liked this one -- it was tricky to write, for some reason, but included several scenes I've been *dying* to get out here. Also, I'm sick, so if there are any inconsistencies or odd bits, please do point them out so I can fix them... I still have two AP tests to study for, and I am WIPED.
> 
> Updated the "Emotion" playlist! I listen to it when I write sometimes, but not all the time. I've been getting into Russian pop a tiny bit, and I love a few of Kristina Si's songs. Check her out if you have time, Russian is SUCH a cool language :)
> 
> Questions? Ideas for me to incorporate? Drop me a line in the comments section! I appreciate your support and investment in my story ^~*


	26. Friday, December 22nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Pt. 1 - As midterms wrap up, break approaches, and Viktor is acting strange...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Massive thanks to user imapirahana98 for giving me the base idea for this section!! I didn't use all of your ideas, but I used one of them as a springboard for this. You might see a bit more of what you included in your comment in the future. Yes, I do save these things! ;)

“I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas,” Yuuri said. “Class flew by so fast!”

“Yeah, except for midterms,” Phichit said, pulling a face. 

“Are you going home for break, Yuuri?” Minami asked.

“I wrote Mom asking permission last week, so I’m waiting for a letter back,” Yuuri said, “but yeah, probably.”

“Reports are sent out tomorrow,” Yuuko said. “You guys nervous?”

“Hope I didn’t flunk math!” Minami said.

“With all the studying we did?” Phichit bumped Minami’s shoulder. “C’mon, you did fine.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right!” Minami flashed a peace sign and grinned.

Yuuri glanced out a window to his left as they walked past. Dark clouds were starting to gather in the sky.  _ That’s funny,  _ he thought, thinking back to when he’d checked the day’s weather report.  _ It didn’t call for a storm. _

“Earth to Yuuri!” Yuuko said. 

“More like Magic to Yuuri, amiright?” Phichit said.

“Ugh, that doesn’t even make  _ sense,”  _ Yuuko said. 

Phichit high-fived himself.

_ “Anyways,” _ said Yuuko. “Viktor was looking for you earlier.”

“He was?” Yuuri’s brain immediately began formulating the worst possible scenarios. He did his best to ignore it. “Did he say what it was about?”

“No, but he looked a little distracted,” Yuuko said. “He’s probably in his room.”

“Okay, I’ll go talk to him,” Yuuri said.

After bidding goodbye to Phichit, Yuuko and Minami headed off to one of the rec rooms while Yuuri went to Viktor’s room.

Yuuri knocked on Viktor’s door. “Viktor? Are you in there?”

Instead of responding, Viktor opened the door. A pang of anxiety zipped through him at the flat expression on Viktor’s face. (In fact, it looked similar to the one he’d worn for the vast majority of the tour he’d given Yuuri back in September.)

“Can I come in?” Yuuri asked, trying to keep the hesitancy from his voice.

“Mmhm.” 

Viktor’s room was untidy, and his closet was hanging open. A half-packed suitcase was sitting on his bed, with several combs, razors, and toothbrushes scattered around it. 

“Yuuko said you were looking for me?” Yuuri shifted from foot to foot, arms folded to his chest.

“Oh, yeah, I was,” Viktor said absently, sitting on the edge of his desk chair and staring out the window.

“Viktor, are you okay?” Yuuri moved closer. “Did you have trouble with your History exam?”

Viktor shook his head.

Still unsure, Yuuri took another step forward and touched the top of Viktor’s head. Viktor flinched away, and Yuuri flinched back a step.

“I thought you were going for my bald spot,” Viktor said, glancing at Yuuri and attempting a smile. 

“Viktor, you’re eighteen. You don’t have a bald spot.” Yuuri mustered the nerve to kneel next to Viktor and put a hand on his knee. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Again Viktor shook his head, still avoiding eye contact with him.

“I can’t help unless you let me,” Yuuri said, re-using one of his mother’s favorite lines from his worst anxiety attacks.

“It’s not something you can help,” said Viktor, too quietly for Yuuri to hear.

“What?”

“It’s nothing,” he said. 

At that, a piercing pain lit up the inside of Yuuri’s chest. He winced, bowing his head to mask his expression.

“Yuuri?”

“You’re lying,” Yuuri said. “It’s the link. I can  _ feel _ you’re hurting, Viktor.”

“The gloves-” Viktor scrambled to his closet, almost knocking Yuuri over entirely, fumbling with the same leather gloves he wore whenever he did partnerwork with Yuuri. Once they were on, he straightened and, at last, looked directly at Yuuri. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. 

“Don’t apologize,” Yuuri replied, “just let me help. What’s wrong?”

For an agonizingly long moment, Viktor paused. 

“Can I come with you?” he burst out.

“Huh…?”

“Over break,” Viktor corrected himself, tripping over his words. “Can I, can I please come with you? It’s okay if you, I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want-”

Yuuri crossed the room and put a finger to Viktor’s lips. “Viktor,” he said softly. “Of  _ course _ you can come with me. My parents have been asking to meet you since-” He caught himself. “I mean, they’ve been asking to meet  _ my friends _ since I wrote home about you… guys…”

By then, Yuuri was blushing furiously, and a faint smile had graced Viktor’s face.

“You’re sure your parents won’t mind?”

“Of course not!” Yuuri fanned his face. “It’s fine. I’m excited to spend Christmas with you.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Yuuri patted the leather of Viktor’s hands. “What’s with the gloves, anyways?”

Viktor seemed relieved by the change in subject. “Yakov recommended them,” he said. “He said it would help with dampening the link.”

“Do we know anything else about… the link?”

“From what I’ve heard, it’s more of a theory than an actual proven thing,” Viktor said, flopping on his bed and nearly knocking his suitcase onto the floor. “Yakov is still skeptical we’re telling the truth. He said to keep it to ourselves.”

“Yuuko knows,” Yuuri said. “She said she found something on it in a textbook.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, it wasn’t much. Just that people with compatible Magics could sometimes have a link, and sense each other’s emotional or physical pain. Or something.”

“Well, let’s not worry about it too much!” Viktor said, smiling at Yuuri. (It looked only half-forced this time.) He lifted a hand, and a glob of water floated from a bottle near the door. “Do you want some water? Your face is kind of red.”

“How would I even drink that?” Yuuri said, more blood rushing to his cheeks.

“Carefully, I guess!” Viktor flicked his wrist, and the floating sphere bobbed over to hover in front of Yuuri’s face. Viktor looked at him expectantly, so Yuuri puckered his lips and sucked at the side of the water. It flowed into his mouth, and he must have made a funny face, because Viktor laughed and almost dropped it.

“You’re lucky I practice so much,” Viktor said after Yuuri had drank the rest of the water. “Anyone else would have gotten your shoes wet.”

“I’m pretty lucky,” Yuuri said, glad Viktor was back to normal.

  
  


“See you guys next year!” Yuuri said, setting his suitcase down inside the Sphaera.

Yuri and Otabek were nearby, and Yuri rolled his eyes at Yuuri’s bad joke, but responded nonetheless. “See you next year.”

Otabek nodded and gave Yuuri a thumbs-up.

Viktor set his suitcase next to Yuuri’s and put his hands on his hips. “I’ll go find someone to sign us out,” he said, and hurried away.

Yuuko and Phichit sidled up to Yuuri, Sara and Mila close behind.

“So, you’re spending the holiday together?” Mila asked.

“Yeah,” said Yuuri. “I guess something came up with Viktor’s parents? He didn’t say. I’m glad he’s coming with me, though.”

“Wish I could come,” Phichit said. “You two need a professional photographer to document your cuteness!”

_ “Phichit,”  _ Yuuri complained. 

“But seriously,” Yuuko said. “You guys are  _ so _ cute. Have you noticed how much happier Viktor’s been since you enrolled?”

“Um… no?”

Otabek and Yuri were in earshot, and Yuri moved closer to interject: “He’s always been clingy as hell, but he’s never actually taken friendship that seriously. We’re more of accessories than anything.”

“That’s too harsh, Yurio,” Phichit said, frowning. “Viktor has always been… distant.”

“You mean he’s always been a narcissistic prick,” Yuri grumbled.

“He’s warmed up since Yuuri started hanging out with us,” Mila said, and Sara nodded. 

“Was he really different before?” Yuuri asked.

“He was,” Sara said. “He’s always been polite and nice, of course, but he was definitely, like Yuuko said, fairly distant. Closed-off.”

“You changed him,” Yuuko said, smiling at Yuuri.  
“Really?” Yuuri found that hard to believe. 

“Really,” Yuuko said, and even Yuri nodded in agreement.

Viktor waltzed up to them, waving a piece of paper. “We’re free to go, Yuuri!”

“You know the way, don’t you?” Yuuri asked after they’d said goodbye and boarded the Sphaera.

“It’s well-marked,” Viktor said. “Besides, Crest isn’t that far away. We’re following the dark blue tags until we reach the rails.”

Viktor took hold of the silver straps, and their Sphaera lifted from the ground. Yuuri waved to Yuuko and Phichit as they lifted from the ground and from the side of the Southern Wing.

Yuuri braced himself for the blinding light he was sure was waiting, but to his surprise, clouds had completely covered the sky and blocked much of the light.

“Is it going to storm?” he asked.

“Looks like it might,” Viktor replied. “The wind is blowing pretty hard, so it might miss Apricus.”

“How can you tell?”

“Do you want to try flying it?” Viktor asked.

“Uh! Um…! I don’t know how!”

“I’ll help you.” Viktor inclined his head. “Here, bring your Magic to your hands and take the straps from me. Ready?”

“I don’t know if this is a good idea-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay close to you,” Viktor promised. “You can do this. I know you can.”

Yuuri recalled the metaphor Minako had used during his outburst, which she had repeated several times during their work together. He then inhaled and felt a familiar tingle as his Magic began to flow, like water from a fountain. 

“Good, now here, take them-”

As they switched places, Viktor’s fingers brushed against Yuuri’s, and the Sphaera nearly flipped over.

“Woah there!” Viktor said, stumbling and laughing. “You don’t need that much.”

“I know, I know,” said Yuuri, trying to get a feel for flying as the Sphaera hummed beneath him. He could feel his Magic flirting with its centre, and as Viktor had said, he could feel the push of wind against its side.

“You’re not too bad at this,” Viktor said, coming to stand behind him. Yuuri stiffened at first, but relaxed after a moment. That relaxation was short-lived, as Viktor placed a hand near Yuuri’s hip and reached up for the left strap. 

“Wh-what are you doing?” Yuuri’s voice cracked, and the Sphaera took a dive.

“We’ve got compatible Magics, so in theory, we should be able to fly this together, right?” Viktor steadied himself, and the Sphaera leveled out. Yuuri found the sensation was similar, but less draining. And, of course, he was used to the feeling of Viktor’s Magic touching to his.

Their hands glowed, blue and silver, side by side, and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder as the Sphaera floated through the gloom. 

 

Headmaster Atlas had assured everyone that their parents had been notified the exact times of their arrival. Despite that, Yuuri had remained worried until he’d spotted his parents and sister standing on the platform and waving. 

They slowed to a stop, and the door popped open. Yuuri picked up his suitcase, stepped outside, and his family descended on him in seconds.

“Yuuri!” His mother had tears in her eyes. “Oh, Yuuri, you’ve grown!”

“Mom, it’s only been a few months,” Yuuri protested, hugging her tightly. 

His father straightened his glasses and ruffled Yuuri’s hair. “Welcome back, son.”

“It’s good to be back,” Yuuri said.

Yuuri looked over, and Mari was standing with Viktor, who had an almost blank look on his face. Mari’s expression could only be described as judgemental.

“Hey, Yuuri,” she said. “How’s Apricus?”

“Busy,” Yuuri said. “I’ll tell you all about it when we get home.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t let you know earlier that Viktor was coming with me,” Yuuri said to his parents. “It was kind of a snap decision and I-”

“It’s entirely my fault, Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki,” Viktor said. “My parents wrote me saying I couldn’t stay with them for- for Christmas this year, and the letter was- delayed. I’m happy to pay you for your trouble-”

“No, no,” Yuuri’s mother interrupted. “Any friend of our son’s is a friend of ours. You’re family now.”

Viktor’s eyebrows twitched upwards, and he smiled after a moment. “Thank you, Mrs. Katsuki.”

“Please, call me Hiroko,” she replied.

“And I’m Toshiya.” Yuuri’s father shook Viktor’s hand. “Have you been to Crest before?”

“No,” Viktor said. “I live much further away.”

“I would ask where, but my geography is dismal,” Hiroko said, laughing. “Yuuri, bring your and Viktor’s suitcases to the car, and we’ll get home and settle you two in.”

Viktor refused to let anyone else carry his suitcase, which led to Mari sidling up to Yuuri and whispering: “You chose a knight, huh? And here I was thinking chivalry is dead.”

“I didn’t choose him,” Yuuri hissed.

“Please, Yuuri, I’m old, not blind.”

“You’re  _ twenty-two!” _

The ride home was filled with bright chatter, most of it between Viktor and Hiroko. Yuuri was happy to sit back and listen, relieved that Viktor seemed to be having a good time. Mari, who was sandwiched between them, kept smirking at Yuuri, and he glowered back.

“How has Apricus been so far?” Toshiya asked them.

“Tough,” Yuuri admitted. “I’m learning something new every day. Viktor’s been a huge help.”

“It’s nothing,” Viktor said, waving a hand. “Only doing my duty as his partner.”

“You’re partners?” Mari asked, wiggling her eyebrows at both of them.

“It’s not what you th-”

“We work on improving our Magic together,” Viktor explained. “And we sometimes work on our hobbies as well. I skate a lot, and Yuuri dances, though he’s been improving on the ice as well.”

“Oh?” Toshiya looked back at Yuuri. “You never mentioned that in your letters.”

“He used to sneak out to the ice rink early in the morning,” Viktor said cheerfully, “but now we practice together!”

“I used to skate,” Hiroko said, eyes taking on a dreamy look.

Mari, Toshiya, and Yuuri all blinked at her.

“It wasn’t anything special,” she said. “I could land a double axel, but that’s about it.”

“That’s amazing!” Viktor said. “I have trouble with axels. I can do a quad flip without using Magic, though.”

“Wow!”

“Is that the jump you were working on last week?” Yuuri asked.

“You saw that?”

“I might’ve watched a little…”

Mari smirked at him even harder, and Yuuri stared resolutely out the window.

 

The Katsuki family’s new house was a bit smaller than their old one, but was roomy enough for a guest bedroom, which had been set up for Yuuri and Viktor. The bed had been pushed to one corner, and two mattresses had been laid out on the floor. Viktor dropped his suitcase by the one closest to the door, so Yuuri took the one closer to the window.

“Crest looks really cool so far,” Yuuri said as he began unpacking his clothes into a set of drawers.

“It’s pretty small, but it looks like there’s some good shopping,” Viktor agreed. “Too bad we’re broke.”

“I’m sure my parents will give us an allowance if we ask nicely.”

“Oh, I could never-”

“Don’t tell Dad I told you,” Yuuri said, “but he landed a great job in the town office in October. So, don’t worry about it.”

Viktor didn’t unpack, but sat on his mattress, fiddling with his pager. “It’s odd that these don’t work outside of Apricus.”

“We can still take pictures, and listen to music.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Something felt off. “Are you okay? Are you tired?”

“A little, yeah.” Viktor stood. “Let’s go downstairs and see what’s happening for dinner, hm?”

Yuuri followed him, trying to shake off a faint feeling of dread.

 

Hiroko cooked a delicious pork dish for dinner, but she wouldn’t tell them the name. “After you help me make it, I’ll tell you,” she said. “It’s Japanese. I learned it in the women’s cooking club. Trying to connect to our roots, you know?”

“We’ve got to help her make it,” Yuuri said to Viktor as they dried the dishes. “That was so good.”

Viktor made a noncommittal noise and left to change for bed. Mari approached Yuuri as he was about to follow.

“I know I barely know the kid,” she said, “but are you sure Viktor’s doing okay? He seems pretty… I dunno.”

“I’ve noticed it, too,” Yuuri said. “Maybe he’s just nervous? He’s been acting oddly for a couple days now.”

“You should ask him about it,” said Mari. “Get in some bonding.”

“I really don’t think he wants to talk about it.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “You always end up talking about it sooner or later,” she said. “Night, little brother.”

“Night, Mari…”

By the time Yuuri reached the guest room, Viktor was curled up on his mattress with the lights off. Yuuri tried to be as quiet as he could, stripping off his shirt and pants and feeling his way to his bed; he could do without for pajamas for a night, and he’d only make more noise bumping around in the dresser drawers.

“Goodnight, Viktor,” he whispered, in case Viktor was still awake. 

Viktor didn’t respond. Yuuri laid awake for what felt like an eternity, staring out the window at the cloudy sky, until he fell into a restless sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all don't mind the timeskip! It's been a little over a month of time since the last chapter. I did want to move things along a bit, and didn't think there was much to document between that timespan.
> 
> I only have vague ideas for what I want to do with the next few parts of this section. If you have a cute fluffy (or angsty, let's be real here) idea for me, leave a comment!! I'm a little desperate for inspiration, seeing as I only have base ideas.
> 
> Anyways, I'm going to take a short (two day) hiatus from writing this story, because tomorrow is Prom and I really need a mental health day. Knowing me, I'll end up writing this anyways, but it'll be good to take the pressure off myself for a little while ^_^
> 
> Thank you for your love and support!! I can't believe this fic has over 8,500 views. It's equally flattering and intimidating ಠ_ಠ


	27. Sunday, December 24th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Pt. 2 - A few pleasant days pass in Crest, but a storm is brewing.

Yuuri and Viktor spent the following day lazing around, watching television, and sleeping. Viktor kept to himself, mostly, only emerging from the guest room when Yuuri called him down to lunch. They had made small talk as they ate, but Viktor retreated to their bedroom soon after, leaving Yuuri feeling unsettled and upset.

The following morning began far too early for Yuuri’s taste, when his mother practically kicked down the bedroom door, bustling inside with an air of enthusiasm about her. “Time to wake up, boys! We’ve got a busy day ahead of us!”

“Ugh,  _ Mom!” _ Yuuri rolled over, squinting as Hiroko threw open the curtains.

Viktor was a ball of blankets at that point. He didn’t even budge when Hiroko nudged him.

“Get him up, and quick!” She turned and breezed out the door, calling back: “The council hosts a day-long event every Christmas Eve, and we’re participating in the breakfast, so we can’t be late!”

“Council…?” 

“Most Magical communities have an elected council,” Viktor said, starting to extricate himself from his covers. “I think Crest has ten officials.”

“Is there a council where you live?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor looked over at him, and Yuuri noticed the blank look in his eyes. “No,” was all he said, gathering his clothes and leaving the room.

The town hall was crowded with people, and several long tables had been set up in one room. Hiroko hurried off to the kitchens, towing Mari along behind her, leaving Toshiya, Yuuri, and Viktor to find seats.

It was so crowded that Yuuri ended up crushed between Viktor and a complete stranger. It felt odd, sensing the stranger’s Magic, so he scooted closer to Viktor. 

“Sorry, am I crowding you?” he asked Viktor.

“No, it’s fine,” Viktor said, shaking his head and smiling. 

Hiroko and Mari came out with the rest of the cooks with massive plates of pancakes. The smell of maple syrup and warm wheat filled the entire room. Once the food was served, they all sat down and dug in.

“Mm, Mom, what’s  _ in _ these?” Yuuri asked, cutting another large piece and spearing it with his fork.

“Hazelnuts,” she said. “The whipped cream is handmade. Viktor, do you like them?”

“Yes, they’re amazing!” Viktor enthused. 

“There are a lot of stands being set up in the streets,” Hiroko said to Toshiya as he chowed down. “How about we do a little walking while Mari goes with the kids, mm? We can get some wine for tonight.”

“Hey, how come I’m on babysitting duty?” Mari said.

“We’re not kids,” Yuuri said. “Viktor’s  _ eighteen, _ Mom. We can look after ourselves!”

“Oh, I know, honey, but I’d rather you not get lost in the crowd today,” said Hiroko, keeping her gaze studiously averted. “Besides, we need you home on time.”

“We can be home on time-”

“Don’t push it, Yuuri,” Toshiya said, shaking his knife in the air, “or  _ I’ll _ be your chaperone instead. And I can’t skate worth a damn.”

“Language, Toshiya.” Hiroko piled three more pancakes onto Viktor’s plate.

“There’s a rink here?” Viktor asked.

“Cat’s out,” said Mari. “Good job, Dad.”

Toshiya blinked owlishly. “It was a secret?”

Hiroko’s eyes twinkled. “Viktor, Yuuri, there aren’t any policies about using Magic in public, except for using common sense, of course. So have fun, and try not to show off too much.”

“Mom, Viktor’s the one good at skating,” Yuuri objected.

“But you’re good, too,” Viktor added. “Thanks for thinking of us, M- Hiroko. Toshiya.”

They went home to change into warmer clothing, and Toshiya pulled Yuuri aside, pushing a small linen wallet into his hand.

“Dad?”

“Shh. It’s a late birthday gift, since we missed it this year,” Toshiya smiled. “Buy something nice for yourself when we go shopping later on”

“Thanks, Dad,” Yuuri said, putting the wallet into his back pocket and pulling his dad into a hug.

“Whoomph, you’ve gotten stronger.” Toshiya laughed, hugging him back. “Have a great time, son.”

 

The rink turned out to be a pond that was kept frozen solid by Unda. Somehow, the ice was kept relatively smooth, but there were ripples in places. As Yuuri and Viktor laced up their skates, Mari appeared with three cups of hot cider.

Yuuri sniffed at the steam floating from his. “This isn’t alcoholic, right?” 

“Only a little. To keep you warm.”

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Yuuri asked.

“Nope. I’ll stay on the ground, thanks, where there’s free food.”

Viktor threw back his cider and rushed onto the ice. Yuuri and Mari stared after him.

“Have you talked to him yet?”

“No…”

Mari shrugged one shoulder. “Have fun. See you.”

Yuuri stepped out onto the ice, a little shaky from lack of practice. (He’d neglected most of his activities, even the ones with Minako, because of finals.) Viktor didn’t seem to be having any problem, and Yuuri watched as he skated wide circles, looping around children and couples skirting the edges.

After about an hour, Yuuri’s feet had started to ache. He looked over and saw Mari trying to get his attention, waving a hand with a croissant in it and spraying passerby with crumbs.

He skated up to Viktor and tapped his shoulder. Viktor jumped.

“Mari’s flagging us down,” said Yuuri. “Want to finish up?”

“Sure,” Viktor said, skating ahead of him.

 

They met up with Yuuri’s parents and walked down the main road, stopping at a few different stands. Mari had disappeared with a few friends, so the four of them browsed without her. Viktor was casual, moving away from them and purchasing a few items, but wouldn’t let any of them see. “It’s a surprise, for tomorrow,” he said whenever he was asked, always flashing a smile that quickly faded.

Instead of using his birthday money for himself, Yuuri spent it on Christmas presents: a series of charms for his mom, dad, sister, and Viktor; he spent the most time on Viktor’s. In the end, he had them all wrapped in tissue paper, and kept them tucked in his coat pocket as they made their way through the stands. Hiroko bought them each a caramel apple, freshly dipped and steaming in the cold, much to Yuuri’s dismay. (He'd started to protest, citing his diet, but Mari had elbowed him hard enough to take his breath away.) Yuuri tried his best to keep from being messy, which failed, and even Viktor cracked a smile as he despaired and his parents laughed.

Viktor ran to the guest bedroom when they arrived back home. Yuuri wanted to change clothes, preferably into something less wet and cold, but Viktor had locked the door.

“Viktor, open up,” Yuuri said, knocking on the door. “I need to change.”

There was no response. 

Yuuri sighed. “Viktor,  _ please?” _

Still nothing.

“Mom, Viktor won’t unlock the door,” he said.

“He said he was going to take a nap when he came in,” Hiroko said, turning from the counter. 

“But it’s barely noon!”

Hiroko sighed. “Yuuri, sweetheart, he’s hurting. Just let him be for now. Would you like to help me make these cookies?”

“Sure,” Yuuri said, but his heart wasn’t in it.

The cookies proved to be a good distraction, though. Yuuri felt back in his element, and Hiroko seemed surprised at how comfortable Yuuri was in the kitchen.

“Have you been taking classes at school?” she asked.

“No, but I’ve been on kitchen duty a lot, and Viktor and Madeline have taught me a lot-”

Yuuri launched into a story about his fiasco of an attempt to make meringues, which ended in him being covered head-to-toe in a certain kind of sugar.

“And, and,” Yuuri said, nearly wheezing with laughter, “Viktor took one look at me and the ripped bag, and he said “wow, Yuuri, you’re looking  _ superfine _ today!””

Hiroko laughed so hard that she nearly knocked a bag of chocolate chips onto the floor.

“Oh, Yuuri,” she said, wiping at one eye. “You’ve matured so much. I’m so glad you’re doing well at Apricus.”

His giggles died out. “Me, too,” Yuuri said. “I mean, I was kind of mad at first, but it’s been such an amazing experience…”

She pinched his cheek. “Let’s finish these, hm?”

Once the cookies were in the oven, Hiroko and Yuuri meandered into the living room, where Mari was watching a movie from her upside-down seat on the couch.

“Mari, don’t wreck the furniture,” Hiroko said.

“I’m not.” She stuck one leg straight up in the air. “No shoes.”

“Since when are you so flexible?” Yuuri asked.

“Since I started taking yoga classes,” she said. “And hey, you’re the dancer. Shouldn’t  _ you _ be the flexible one?”

“I have tight hamstrings,” Yuuri said.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Cut it out, you two,” Toshiya said as he entered the room, “or no dessert.”

“I’ll go out and buy some,” Mari said.

“You are  _ forbidden _ to go out and buy dessert.”

“Ooh, well, now that you’ve  _ forbidden _ it-”

“Enough, all of you,” said Yuuri’s mother. 

Yuuri was content to lay on the couch with his family, eating cookies, which they did, for several hours. About an hour into their second movie (which was some sort of post-apocalyptic psychological thriller), there was a knock at the front door.

“Well, don’t all get up at once,” Hiroko said, rising. Yuuri followed her.

At the door was a familiar-looking couple: Yuuri recognized them from breakfast. The woman was wringing her hands, and her husband seemed to be trying to comfort her.

“Oh!” Hiroko said. “Mr. Adamus, Mrs. Adamus. What a surprise! Is there anything I can do for you?”

Mrs. Adamus was squeezing her hands, twisting and untwisting her fingers. “I hate to bother you on a holiday,” she said in a tiny voice, “but I’ve been sensing strong fluctuations from someone in your house.”

Hiroko looked confused.

“Fluctuations?” Yuuri asked. “Like, Magical fluctuations?”

“Yes.” The woman glanced past them, as if searching for something.

“Daria wanted to ask you if you need assistance,” the man said, “because these levels aren’t healthy, or safe.”

“We’re alright,” Yuuri said before his mother could reply. “But thank you for your concern.”

They left with an awkward goodbye, and Hiroko turned to Yuuri.

“It’s Viktor, isn’t it,” she said.

“I think so.”

“I know Daria,” Hiroko said. “She wouldn’t come unless she sensed something important. She’s a very strong Terra.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Yuuri promised.

As he began to head towards the stairs, his father’s voice rang out:

“Yuuri… come here for a moment.”

The living room is quiet when Yuuri enters. The TV had been turned off, and the curtains covering the window facing the street had been pushed aside to reveal heavy snow beginning to coat the ground. Wind howled outside, and the walls creaked in response.

Toshiya was sitting on the couch, holding an envelope.

“Your report card came in the mail,” he said, and his tone of voice made Yuuri’s stomach flip over.

“Is it really bad?” he squeaked.

“You passed all your classes,” Toshiya said, attempting a smile and handing Yuuri the envelope. Yuuri skimmed it, sighing with relief when he saw his marks. His lowest grade was in History, an 84, because he hadn’t done too well on that final, but the comments on his Magic classes looked fine-

“That’s… not all there is,” Toshiya said, and the tension returned.

Hiroko came up behind Yuuri and put a hand on his shoulder. “Sit with me?” 

Yuuri sat.

Toshiya steepled his fingers. “You’ve heard of the Assembly of Four, haven’t you?”

“Um.” Yuuri wracked his memory. “Minako mentioned it when we first met, I think, but I haven’t really…”

“Your mother and I didn’t know this until recently,” said Toshiya, leaning forward, “but the Assembly of Four is a group of the four most powerful Elementalists in our world, one of each elemental type.”

There was a pause as Toshiya took a deep breath. Yuuri was practically vibrating with anxiety, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“They live in isolation and communicate with other Magical communities, and-”

“Toshiya,” Hiroko said. “The point?”

“We received a letter from the Assembly a few hours ago,” Toshiya said, showing Yuuri an envelope with an intricate seal on the back. “They were calling to inform us of our part in Sorano’s last will and testament.”

“Wh- But- Why- Why them?”

“Your grandmother was on the Assembly,” Toshiya said. He looked, for lack of a better word, devastated. “She never told us.”

“To be fair, honey, we weren’t involved in the Magical world,” Hiroko said. 

“I… you’re right.” Toshiya deflated. He put the envelope down.

“Is that it?” Yuuri asked. “Why now? Did they… find her body or something?”

“No,” his father said. “She specified that if she went off the grid for more than two years, she wasn’t coming back and her will was to be carried out. We’ll figure out all the legalese later.”

There was more. Yuuri could feel it. “What else?”

His parents exchanged a long look.

“Another time,” his mother finally said. “Once Viktor is feeling better. We can tell the two of you together.”

Yuuri desperately wanted to object, but saw from the look in his mother’s eyes and the tightness of his father’s face that they weren’t going to budge.

“Okay,” he said. 

They relaxed and smiled. 

“Thank you for understanding, sweetheart.” Hiroko pecked him on the cheek. “We’re going to turn in, so please turn off the lights when you come up.”

“Mm,” Yuuri said, taking out his pager and opening his music app.

His parents moved away, and Yuuri looked up from his pager. They’d left the envelope where it was, and he went over and pulled out a letter written on thick paper.

 

_ Mr. Toshiya Katsuki, _

_ We are writing to inform you and your family of a specification in your mother’s will. She stated that if she cut off contact with the outside world, including the Assembly, for more than 730 days, she wished for the terms of her last will and testament to be carried out. Sorano has left several items to you, including- _

 

A short list of items, including a generous sum of money and a number of books, followed. Yuuri’s jumped down the page, hurrying in case his parents returned, and his eyes landed on the final paragraph.

_ I wish I could contact you under happier circumstances, as Sorano always spoke highly of you. I hope you will give my best to your wife and son. Word has it that he has enrolled in Apricus, and I’m sure he has met my son by now. _

 

_ Regards, _

 

All the blood in his body shot to his feet. His hands began to shake.

 

_ Regards, _

_ Lesyana Nikiforov _

  
  


Yuuri tried to open the door to their bedroom again, but it was still locked. He pulled the master key from his pocket (swiped when he said goodnight to his parents), unlocked the door, and shoved it open.

He felt stupid when he saw Viktor spread out over both of their mattresses, fast asleep. Yuuri didn’t want to bother him — something was bothering him as it was, so what gave Yuuri the right to distress him further — so he crept over to the guest bed in the corner, sitting down on the edge and stripping off his sweaty shirt.

The curtains fluttered as a blast of wind blew by. Snow kept falling, and the moon and stars were completely blocked by dark, dark clouds.

It took hours for Yuuri to get to sleep. Emotions spun his thoughts into a messy web, and the sleep he entered was all-too-light. 

He woke with a start to the sound of crying.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!!! I wanted to post this early, as a special gift to everyone waiting over a week for this update!! I had wanted to wait a little longer, but now I'm pressuring for time. I WILL have the next part of this out within a few days. I SWEAR!
> 
> I based the pancake breakfast on a certain brunch experience of mine. Hope you liked it :) I also hope you liked this curveball :))))))
> 
> If you want to shriek at me, or share your favorite part of this chapter with me, or give constructive criticism, or point out a continuity error, or squeal in general, please drop a comment! I am so amazed at the views this fic is racking up, it's a little intimidating tbh ;-;


	28. Monday, December 25th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Pt. 3 - A storm rages, but calm always follows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longie today!  
> Trigger warning in end notes.

As he bolted upright, he saw Viktor crouched on the floor, gasping for breath. He dry-heaved several times, coughing and hacking.

“Viktor?” Yuuri reached over to turn on the lamp.

 _“Don’t,”_ Viktor pleaded in a rough voice, but Yuuri had already flipped the switch, blinding them both.

The first things Yuuri saw were the deep purple discolorations marking the insides of Viktor’s arms. Yuuri jammed his glasses on his face, tripping over his blankets and almost falling on his face in his attempt to reach Viktor.

“Viktor, Viktor,” he breathed. “Did you do this to yourself?”

“You don’t understand,” Viktor stammered, hunching over even further. His voice was hoarse, and the lamplight caught the glisten of his tears as they dropped to the floor. “I _have_ to…!”

Wind beat against the windows, and Viktor’s eyes clenched shut. He clutched at his head with one hand, keeping Yuuri at a distance with the other.

“Did you have another nightmare?” Yuuri asked, moving Viktor’s hand aside and trying again to shift closer.

“It’s, it’s, _hnnh-”_ Viktor’s hand fell to the floor and he leaned forward, letting Yuuri wrap his arms around him.

Yuuri held him, rocking them back and forth, as Viktor shuddered, sobs ebbing and flowing like a hysterical tide.

“I’m missing something, I’m missing-” Viktor cried, fingernails digging into Yuuri’s back. “It’s so cold, Yuuri, please, please don’t leave me-”

“I won’t, I won’t leave,” Yuuri said, voice unsteady. “I won’t leave. I promise.”

“It’s burning, it’s- too bright, nnh, no, _please…”_

A mixture of terror and deep concern made its home in Yuuri’s chest.

After what seemed like forever, Viktor’s rapid breathing began to slow. He stayed clinging to Yuuri’s shoulders and kept his head down, but when he spoke again, his voice was clearer.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I…”

Yuuri kept his voice careful and quiet. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I have… dreams,” said Viktor, voice muffled by Yuuri’s shoulder. “They’re… usually not this bad…”

“Oh, Viktor.” Yuuri’s eyes stung, and his throat felt tight. “You can come to me. I’m here.”

 _“They’re so bad,”_ Viktor whispered, and Yuuri’s heart felt like it was cracking. “I can’t, I can’t burden you, I _can’t-”_

“You’re not burdening me,” Yuuri said. Viktor was halfway on his lap at that point, and Yuuri reached up, stroking the back of his head.

Viktor let out a quivering sigh. “It’s… dark,” he said at last. “I see… lots of things. Families. Snow. My friends.”

Yuuri stayed quiet, kept his breathing nice and even. Viktor started breathing in synch with him at some point.

“People laughing… people dying. You. It’s… I barely remember most of it, when I wake up.” Viktor shifted, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Back near the end of October,” Yuuri recalled. “Did you-”

“Yeah.” Viktor sniffed. “This is the… fourth one, since school started.”

“Is that… normal? Why do you have th-”

“It’s my mom,” Viktor said. “She has… really strong Magic. She has visions, I have dreams.”

“Is that why you…” Yuuri’s fingers ghosted over the bruises mottling Viktor’s forearms.

Viktor gave a tight shake of his head.

“It’s okay if you don’t-”

“My mom sent me a letter,” Viktor said, words spilling from his mouth. “For the first time in _years,_ she sent me a letter, and all she said was that… that… _god.”_

Viktor began crying again, and the horrible feeling in Yuuri’s chest curled tighter around his heart.

“She told me her and Dad were getting a divorce,” he said, hiccupping between words. “The first time she contacts me since I was ten, and it’s with some _stupid,_ insincere _crap_ about how it’s not me, it’s them, and… it’s…”

Yuuri held Viktor close to him. He felt desperately sad, but pushed the feeling back.

“Did your parents not get along?”

“No, never,” said Viktor. “Dad always took it out on me, sort of.” He sniffed again. “Mom… is always gone.”

“She’s on the Assembly,” Yuuri blurted.

Viktor’s head shot up. “Who told you? Was it Chris? I told him-”

“It wasn’t Chris.” Yuuri kicked himself internally. “I, uhm.”

“Then how do you know?” Viktor’s eyes were shining with more unshed tears. “I tried so hard to keep it a secret. I was so careful-”

“Why would you want to keep it a secret-”

“It’s _weird,_ okay, Yuuri?!” Viktor pulled back from him, crossing his arms over his torso. “Everyone would treat me differently. I don’t _want_ to be different, I just-” He shivered again, massaging his temples. “Tell me how you know, Yuuri.”

Yuuri had messed up, big-time. “Um…”

Sensing Viktor’s patience was at its end, Yuuri sighed. “My parents… got a letter. From the Assembly. It was about Sorano's will, she left us some things. It was from… your mom.”

Viktor stared at them.

“Apparently she was friends with Sorano?” Yuuri fidgeted. Viktor had pulled away from him and was trying to pin down his gaze, but Yuuri kept his eyes averted. “They told me to wait, that they were going to tell us together, or something, but I was curious and I-”

“Yuuri.”

He flinched.

“I’m not mad,” said Viktor.

“Wh- You’re not…?”

“No… Why would I be mad?”

“I, um.” Yuuri paused. “I don’t… really know?”

“Well, I’m not, so…” Viktor’s breath hitched. “So… don’t worry about it.”

They sat together for what felt like hours, breathing and holding on to each other.

“Viktor,” Yuuri said, keeping his voice low. “Why did you hurt yourself?”

“It…” Viktor absently rubbed his wrists. “It helps. It’s easier. Mom told me I could keep control by focusing on something other than my emotions… pain works.”

“But it won’t work forever,” Yuuri said. “Viktor, it’s like this for everyone sometimes. But hurting yourself to keep your emotions at bay… that’s not helping anyone. Especially not you.”

“I don’t know what else to-”

“Come to me,” Yuuri said. As Viktor began to turn away, lips compressing, Yuuri caught his hand. “Come to me, Viktor, _please.”_

“I can’t just-”

“You _can,”_ Yuuri insisted. “We’re partners, aren’t we?”

Viktor was silent. Snow battered the window, making faint noises.

“I don’t mind hearing about your dreams.”

“They’re… they’re sometimes really-”

“I don’t care. Keeping all of that inside will only hurt you, Viktor.”

Viktor sighed.

“Please, just… don’t hurt yourself, keeping everything in,” Yuuri said softly. “Come talk to me. I’ll be there, whenever you need me.”

“They’re really not that b-”

“Viktor.” Yuuri pulled him closer until they were nearly nose-to-nose. He _had_ to get this point across: “Someone from the town _council_ came and said they could sense your Magic fluctuating. What if I hadn’t woken up? You could have had an outburst!”

“My mom always said I had to keep this to myself,” Viktor finally whispered. “Nobody is supposed to know the future.” He paused. “The first time I tried to tell her about them, she… wouldn’t let me speak.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” Yuuri said, “or anything you think will change the future if I know. But holding all that inside, everything you’ve told me about… that’s no way to live.”

After a minute, Viktor nodded. He drew his blankets closer around him, starting to shiver again.

“Wait here,” Yuuri said, shifting to his knees and gently patted the side of Viktor’s neck. “I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”

Yuuri left the room and went to the bathroom, filled a cup with water and, after some searching, retrieved an aspirin, a first-aid kit, and a small towel from the cabinet. He dampened the washcloth with warm water before heading back to the bedroom.

Viktor was sitting exactly where Yuuri had left him, with his knees pulled to his chest.

“Does your head hurt?”

“Mm hm.”

“Here.” Yuuri held out the cup. “I have painkillers.”

Accepting the water, Viktor swallowed back the aspirin without batting an eye. Yuuri ran the washcloth along the back of Viktor’s neck, and though he tensed at first, Viktor seemed to like it, leaning into Yuuri’s hand.

“Can you finish it?” Yuuri asked, gesturing to the water.

Viktor nodded, lifting the cup to his lips.

“Is it okay if I bandage your arms?”

Viktor murmured an affirmative, staring into the glass. Yuuri noticed the water inside rippling, though he couldn’t tell whether Viktor was moving it with his mind, or if his hands were shaking.

Yuuri popped open the top of the kit and produced a small tube. The side read _arnica,_ and the label showed it was a healing stimulant.

“I’m sure it’s not as good as what the nurse gave me,” Yuuri said, uncapping it, “but it’ll have to do.”

When Yuuri smoothed a layer of the gel over the bruises closest to Viktor’s inner elbow, Viktor jerked.

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s cold,” Viktor said.

Quick as he could, Yuuri applied the arnica to the marks, wrapping soft gauze around and around his left arm, then his right, and taping the bandages into place.

“Have you done this before?” Viktor’s voice was slightly slurred.

“Yeah. I’ve had to do it on myself before, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. I remember…”

A glance at the clock revealed it was two-thirty in the morning. Yuuri yawned, and Viktor echoed him, eyes closing for a prolonged moment.

“We should get to sleep,” Yuuri said, beginning to stand.

A tug on his pant leg halted him. Yuuri looked down to see Viktor, head bowed, clutching the fabric of his sweatpants.

“You said you wouldn’t leave,” Viktor whispered, and Yuuri felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

“I won’t, I won’t leave,” Yuuri said, dropping to his knees. Viktor wrapped his arms around Yuuri again, breathing deeply and slumping against him.

“We can’t sleep on the floor,” Yuuri said after a time, speaking into Viktor’s hair.

“Yes, we can…”

“Come on, let’s go to the bed. It’s warmer.” Yuuri’s main worry was the fact that Viktor was still shivering, and his hands were like ice on the flat of Yuuri’s back.

Viktor allowed himself to be pulled along as Yuuri stood and guided them over to the bed. His eyes were half-open, and Yuuri was struck, all at once, at how breathtaking he looked: tears drying on his cheeks, eyelashes casting shadows across his face, eyes the color of the sea and just as deep…

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Viktor’s voice was hushed.

Yuuri swallowed. “Like what?”

“Like… like I’m… _beautiful…”_

“You _are_ beautiful.”

He could tell Viktor didn’t believe him; either that, or he was nearly asleep. (Yuuri was thankful for his inattention, because his blush was unmistakable and embarrassing.) Viktor was mumbling to himself as Yuuri coaxed him up onto the guest bed.

“It’s just,” he said, gesturing and almost hitting Yuuri in the face in his agitation, “would it have killed her to send a card? Y’know, ‘happy nineteenth, sorry for being a horrible parent…’ Dad always complained he hated celebrating on Christmas, but at least it was economic… like a two-for-one…”

Yuuri froze.

“Viktor… Is today your birthday?”

“Mmnh” was Viktor’s reply as he rolled over, bumping against the wall and curling into himself. Above him, the curtains of the window fluttered as a draft blew by. Snow was caked in the corners of the panes.

Letting out a sigh, Yuuri tugged the blankets up and over Viktor, tucking the corner so that Viktor was in a pocket of blankets. He placed his pillow against the window to keep out the cold, and after waiting a minute to make sure Viktor really was asleep, Yuuri turned and tiptoed from the room.

 

He awoke from a light doze to the sound of his pager blaring an alarm. Yuuri scrambled to his feet, yanking open the oven and removing a pan at light-speed. His arm missed the burning edge of the oven by less than an inch.

The pan was smoking, and the top looked more black than brown. Yuuri scrubbed at his eyes, frustrated to tears.

Footsteps made Yuuri look up, and he saw Mari standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a ratty bathrobe wrapped around her.

“Yuuri, what-” She yawned, squinting at him. “What are you doing up? It’s damn early.”

“I think it’s Viktor’s birthday today,” Yuuri said, massaging his temples.

“What?”

“He let it slip before he fell asleep,” said Yuuri, not missing a beat. “I’m not positive, but if today really _is_ his birthday and he didn’t want to tell us-”

“Man, I knew the guy was polite, but that’s just…” Mari yawned again. “Well, I’ll help you out. I’m a shitty cook, but I can do other stuff.”

“No, it’s fine,” Yuuri said.

“Y-”

“I want to do this myself,” Yuuri said firmly.

Hiroko appeared at Mari’s shoulder. “Why are you two up so early? It’s not even five-”

“It’s Viktor’s birthday today,” Mari said.

“On Christmas?” Hiroko’s eyes widened. “He never said a thing!”

“He told me by accident, I _think,”_ Yuuri said, “but if it really is-”

“I’ll help you with everything!” Hiroko said, bustling past Mari and inspecting the cake Yuuri had removed from the oven. “Oh, did you burn it?”

“Yeah…” Yuuri sighed. “I was going to try again-”

“Don’t worry about it a whit,” Hiroko said, giving Yuuri a one-armed squeeze. “Throw that one out, and we can make a second one later. Mari, could you be a dear and run to the pantry? We’ll need the waffle iron and confectioners sugar.”

Yuuri felt a bit slighted that his plans were being taken over, but was thankful he could wait to try and make a second cake. “I want to help, too.”

“Oh, you will! You can help me with breakfast, and we’ll make the cake later.”

“I bookmarked the recipe-”

Mari returned. “Mom, there are three waffle irons down there.”

“Bring up two, the ones that look the most fun.” Hiroko turned to Yuuri. “What kind of frosting do you want on the cake? We’ll make it from scratch.”

“Could we maybe do…” Yuuri thought back to Madeline’s various cookbooks. “A kind of buttercream frosting?”

“We’ll need more sugar,” Hiroko said, moving to the cabinets. As she did, Yuuri caught her in a hug.

“Thank you, Mom,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “Besides, this can be a late birthday for you as well!”

“But Viktor-”

“Oh, Yuuri, sweetie,” she said. “It can be Christmas _and_ two birthdays! No problem. The presents might be underwhelming, though…”

Mari arrived with a slew of new ingredients, and Hiroko put the two of them to work.

 

It was eight o’clock when Toshiya shook Yuuri awake. Yuuri startled and almost rolled off the couch.

“Your mother told me to get you up,” said Toshiya, “and tell you to fetch Viktor.” He looked in the direction of the kitchen. “What’s all the ruckus about, anyways? Did you three plan something special for Christmas and not tell me?”

“It’s Viktor’s birthday, we think,” Yuuri said, pushing his hair back from his face and yawning.

“Toshiya!” came the voice of his mother.

“Duty calls,” Toshiya said. “Don’t forget your glasses.”

Yuuri grabbed said glasses from the floor on his way out of the room. He took the stairs three at a time before coming to a halt outside their bedroom, and was about to knock when he felt a prickle of anxiety.

“Viktor?” he called softly, reaching for the doorknob. “Are you awake?”

To his surprise, the door opened, revealing Viktor in a fresh set of pajamas. Yuuri’s pajamas, his favorite pair with long sleeves and loose bottoms that looked too big on Yuuri but hung perfectly on Viktor-

“Yuuri?”

“Sorry.” Yuuri cleared his throat.

There were still faint dark circles under Viktor’s eyes, but there was a hint of color in his face that hadn’t been there the day before. His eyes held a sort of wariness, but the haunted look they had held was faded.

“Good morning,” said Viktor, giving Yuuri a quick up-down look. His lips quirked. “Did you sleep on the floor or something?” His smile became slightly rigid.

“I was helping Mom with breakfast.” Yuuri, in an astonishing show of confidence, linked his arm through Viktor’s. “We made waffles. Are you hungry?”

“Actually, yeah, I am.”

Viktor allowed himself to be led down the stairs and into the dining room. Toshiya and Mari were just sitting down, and Hiroko was placing a second platter of hot waffles in the center of the table.

“Just in time,” she said, clapping her mittened hands together. “Viktor, we’ve got heart-shaped waffles and caramel syrup to start, and I have some bacon and sausage in the kitchen. Which do you prefer?”

“Oh, either is fine,” Viktor said. “Don’t go out of your way for me.”

Mari opened her mouth to say something, but Yuuri stepped on her foot under the table.

Hiroko sat down and they began to eat. Yuuri noticed happily that Viktor took seconds and thirds.

“I’ll go get the stockings,” Hiroko said, rising from her chair. Viktor looked confused and began to stand, but Yuuri touched his arm.

“It’s one of our traditions,” he said, smiling. “We open our stockings at the table.”

“Sorry,” Viktor said, relaxing into his chair. “Christmases at my house are… different.”

“Yeah, we’re pretty different, alright,” Mari said, snatching the syrup from Yuuri’s hand.

Yuuri pursed his lips. _“Thanks,_ Mari." He paused. "I should lay off the calories, anyways.”

“Oh, shut up,” she said. “You might be in shape now, but you’ll always be a chubby little brother to me.”

“Ugh, Mari,” Yuuri groaned.

“Don’t listen to her, Yuuri,” Viktor said histrionically, slinging an arm around Yuuri’s shoulders and planting a kiss in his hair. “I think you look wonderful.”

Mari snorted, and Toshiya’s eyes sparkled at Yuuri over his glasses. Yuuri reddened.

Their stockings contained mostly candy, and Yuuri mourned the loss of his athlete’s body and metabolism, quickly putting it all away before he became too tempted. Viktor ate all of his maple candy within minutes. Mari was content with her assortment of dark chocolates. Toshiya gave Hiroko a bottle of wine, and Hiroko gave Toshiya a bottle of saké.

“What’s saké?” Yuuri asked.

“It’s rice wine. Japanese,” Hiroko explained. “There’s a cultural integration program in town, and since we’ve got Japanese roots, I enrolled us. They gave us this bottle for free last week!”

Toshiya gave her a wounded look. “Last _week?_ How could you keep it a secret?”

“Dad can sniff out wine like a trained dog,” Mari said to Viktor.

Hiroko smiled. “I locked it away. Presents, anyone?”

They gathered around the Christmas tree after the table had been cleared (“The dishes can wait a few minutes,” Hiroko had insisted as she shooed Viktor and Yuuri from the kitchen). Toshiya and Hiroko stepped back as Mari descended on the pile of presents. Yuuri and Viktor glanced at each other, grinned, and joined her.

Apparently, Yuuri’s parents had done some last-minute shopping as soon as Viktor had arrived, because he had a good number of gifts under the tree.

“This is too much,” Viktor protested on more than one occasion, but Hiroko and Toshiya simply smiled.

Yuuri and Viktor emerged from a pile of wrapping paper clad in fluffy, homemade sweaters and wearing a flower crown, each clutching a set of novels and a navy box. They flopped down on the couch together, and the cheerful look on Viktor’s face eased some of Yuuri’s worry about him.

“What’s in the boxes?” Mari asked, playing with her new necklace. Yuuri noticed the iridescent stone set in the center.

“They’re called in-touch bracelets,” Toshiya said. “From what we heard from the buyer, they sense Magic and interact with it, so the wearers can tell when the other is using Magic.”

“Oh.” Yuuri opened his box, and inside was a dappled blue bracelet. He slipped it over his hand, and it seemed to shrink around his wrist.

“It also reacts to-”

Yuuri yelped as an alien sensation shot from his bracelet and down his arm.

“-touch,” Hiroko finished.

The sensation zinged again, and a chill ran down Yuuri’s spine. He looked over to see Viktor stroking two fingers down the side of his own bracelet, a pleased look on his face.

“Stop it,” Yuuri said, “it tickles.”

Viktor bipped his bracelet again, and Yuuri shoved his shoulder, blushing.

As they were helping clean up the mess they’d made, Hiroko perked up. “By the way, the council came to me yesterday and asked if the two of you would be coming to lunch today.”

“The town hosts a lunch every year on Christmas Day,” Toshiya explained.

“How many community meals does this place _have?”_ Yuuri said.

“A crapton,” Mari said.

“It won’t be for very long,” Hiroko said. “Mari’s coming with you.”

“Does Mari get a say in this?” Mari snapped.

“Mari will be _paid,”_ Toshiya said. “Fifty dollars.”

“Deal,” Mari said at once.

Yuuri rolled his eyes at Viktor.

On their way out the door, Hiroko winked at Yuuri. Yuuri pecked her on the cheek, whispering a quick “thank you,” and followed Viktor and his sister out into the cold.

 

A buffet line was set up in the town square, with metal covers to keep in the heat. Volunteers made sandwiches and burritos for everyone who came by as they walked down the line. Yuuri ended up with a chicken-cheese burrito, and Viktor had a roast beef and mozzarella sandwich, which they ate as they walked.

Many people from Crest that they’d met in passing the day before bid them good morning, and Merry Christmas. Yuuri’s heart was beating out of his chest: half from the cold, half from the fact that Viktor’s hand was intertwined with his.

They joined in a spirited snowball fight by the fountain, consisting mostly of teenagers with shaky control over their Magic. A girl nearly set her friend’s hair on fire at one point. Yuuri and Viktor had a ball, and worked as a great team. Afterwards, they each took a cup of hot cocoa, and Mari finally approached them.

“Wanna hit the rink one more time?” she said. “They’re gonna melt it tomorrow.”

“Why would they melt it?” he asked.

“To turn it back into a pool, duh.”

That still didn’t make much sense to Yuuri, but he made his way onto the ice with Viktor anyways. This time, they stayed close to each other, skating side-by-side.

The melody of a slow waltz drifted past them, and Yuuri realized with a start that they were the only ones on the ice, but there certainly was an audience at the edges of the frozen pond.

“What’s going on?”

Viktor wrapped an arm around Yuuri’s waist. “I’m not sure. Want to give them a little show?”

“You’re the skater, not me-”

“You can dance better than I ever could.” Viktor angled his skates to that they turned in a wide circle. “Just follow my lead.”

There was nothing special about what they did, exactly; Viktor kept their movements relatively tame, to compensate for Yuuri, and they spun gracefully across the ice like one body. At one point, Viktor squeezed his hip and released him, skating the length of the pond and executing a flawless quad. Yuuri wasn’t sure which it was, but his heart soared with Viktor, and when they touched hands again, Magic jolted between them.

“What’s got you so excited?” Viktor teased. There was a light in his eyes, a light Yuuri had missed dearly.

Yuuri didn’t reply, pecking Viktor on the cheek as the last notes of the song trailed off. The crowd cheered their approval as they left the ice. A mob of children swarmed them, voices bright and loud. Mari stood nearby, snapping pictures with her phone, all smiles.

 

“-so these goofs ended up doing a public skating performance,” Mari said, jabbing a thumb over to where Viktor and Yuuri were removing their heavy coats and boots.

“It wasn’t exactly our idea,” Yuuri said.

“Well, whoever suggested it is too kind,” Hiroko said, dusting off her apron. “I’m sure you two did wonderfully.”

“I didn’t know you could skate,” Toshiya said to Yuuri.

“Dad, he literally told you the day he got here,” Mari said.

“Oh, right, now I remember.” (He obviously didn’t.)

“Why don’t you boys warm up by the fire? The TV’s all yours until dinner.” Hiroko went back to the kitchen. “And don’t come get me unless it’s an emergency, please!”

“Some kind of surprise?” Viktor wondered.

“Probably,” Yuuri said. “Hold on, I’ve got to go to the bathroom. You can pick a movie if you want.”

Yuuri slipped into the kitchen to see a beautiful cake, half-frosted, on the cutting board.

“Wow, Mom,” he said. “That’s way better than I could’ve done.”

“Practice makes perfect,” she said, patting his head and getting flour on his shirt. “Run along back to Viktor. Dinner’s in a few hours.”

After changing his shirt and making sure his presents were ready to be delivered, Yuuri went down and watched the movie Viktor had picked. It was a horror movie, but the special effects were so cheesy that Yuuri couldn’t take it seriously. Viktor spent the vast majority of the time huddled up to Yuuri’s chest and eating candy.

“Does this really scare you?” Yuuri finally asked.

“Mm, a little,” Viktor said, nuzzling closer to Yuuri. “You smell good.”

It took all of Yuuri’s willpower not to spontaneously combust.

“Dinner is on the table!” Hiroko called. Viktor clicked off the television, and they headed to the dining room.

Mari and Toshiya came from the kitchen with a turkey, a tureen of buttered peas, and a bowl of mashed potatoes. Yuuri’s mouth started watering just seeing the food — he’d refused any of Viktor’s candy, saying he was waiting for dinner, but his self-control was beginning to wear thin.

Without much further ado, they all dug in.

“Leave some room,” Hiroko advised them after a few minutes. “Dessert is coming soon.”

Viktor stole a bite of potatoes from Yuuri’s plate, and Yuuri was an inch from using his fork as a pea slingshot when his mother shot him a warning look. Yuuri huffed, fighting to keep a smile from taking over his face.

When he’d finished, Yuuri stood, placing his napkin on top of his plate. “I have presents for you all. Could I give them to you before dessert?”

“Honey, you didn’t have to-”

“Son, you-”

“Is it cash?”

Yuuri ignored their questions and retrieved his presents from their room. Checking the tags, he gave the purple one to his mother, the green to his father, the yellow to his sister, and the reddish-pink to Viktor.

“What are they?” Mari asked, inspecting the small fabric patch.

“They’re called omamori,” Yuuri said, “protective talismans. Mari, yours wards off evil. I think it’s called yaku… something. It’s on the paper. Mom, yours is one for luck, and Dad, yours is one for money.”

“What about mine?” Viktor fingered the decals on the pink talisman.

“It’s for happiness,” Yuuri said softly, sitting down next to Viktor.

“Time for dessert,” Hiroko sang. “Yuuri, Mari, come help me, and Toshiya, get the matches.”

“What about me?”

“Oh, you just sit tight, dear,” she said.

Yuuri helped put the last candle into the cake, and Toshiya lit it.

“Ready in there, Viktor?” he called, reaching and dimming the lights.

The dumbstruck look on Viktor’s face brought a huge smile to Yuuri’s face.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you-”

Viktor’s eyes were swimming with tears.

“Happy birthday, dear Viktor, happy birthday to you!”

Mari took more pictures as Hiroko set the cake down in front of Viktor.

“Make a wish,” Yuuri murmured.

Viktor took a trembling breath and blew out the flames. Toshiya and Hiroko burst into applause and went to the kitchen, both muttering about pie cutters. Mari followed them, eyes on her phone.

“H-how…” Viktor turned in his chair and clasped Yuuri’s hand, eyebrows twitching together. “How did you know…?”

“You said something last night,” Yuuri said. “I wish you’d told me sooner. I could’ve gotten you a proper present.”

The laugh that came from Viktor’s mouth was a little strangled.

Yuuri squeezed Viktor’s shoulder. “Were you surprised?”

“Yeah, I was.”

“Was it… okay? I mean, I j-”

“Yuuri.” Viktor’s voice was tentative. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to make a fuss, but I… I realize, now, that you like to make a fuss for people. You and your family, you’re… so nice…”

“Not ‘people,’ Viktor,” Yuuri said. “You. You’re my-” His stomach flipped over at his unintentional, momentary pause. “-friend. Of course I like to make a fuss for you. It’s your birthday, after all!”

“We’re celebrating yours a little, too, Yuuri!” Hiroko reminded him from the kitchen.

“Mine was a month ago, though-”

Viktor side-eyed Yuuri. “A month ago?”

“Uhm…”

“Looks like we’re both guilty of not wanting others to fuss over us.”

“...Maybe.”

“You’re turning eighteen?” Hiroko brought a piece of cake, freshly sliced, and placed it in front of Viktor.

“Nineteen,” he said. “This looks amazing, Mrs- sorry, Hiroko.”

“The recipe was Yuuri’s idea.”

“It looks great.” Viktor took a bite and his eyes widened. “It _tastes_ even better!”

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t make it,” Yuuri said, watching the path of Viktor’s fork from the cake to his mouth with some interest.

The evening seemed to fly by, and Yuuri was more than a little hyper by the time the moon rose. (What could he say? There must have been a lot of sugar in that cake. Absolutely worth ruining his diet, though.) He helped his mother with the dishes, and by the time they were all put away, the high was wearing off. From the look on Viktor’s face when Yuuri found him in the living room, he was about to fall asleep standing up as well.

“We’re going to bed now, Dad,” Yuuri said, stumbling as Viktor knocked into him from the side.

“See you in the morning,” Toshiya said, eyes on the TV.

They both practically rolled into bed, only stopping to kick off their slippers. Viktor shimmied out of his shirt as well, but Yuuri was too chilly, not to mention shy, to think of following suit. Before Yuuri knew it, Viktor’s arms were twined around him, locking them together. Instead of fighting it, Yuuri relaxed into the warmth of Viktor’s body, pulled the comforter tighter around them, and fell straight to sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: self-harm. If this triggers you, you can skip to "A glance at the clock" using the control-F option.
> 
> Credit to user SHSLshortie for inspiring parts of this chapter!!
> 
> I hope you're all good with this update!! Apologies for the angst, but I hope the fluff made up for it. I wrote the last two pages in a 1.5 hour chunk, determined to get it finished rather than put it off for tomorrow. You're all so patient, but I'm no monster :)
> 
> The sandwiches are two of my faves from a local cafe. Yes, they're weird, but they're so good <3
> 
> Any ideas for thing you'd like to incorporate in upcoming chapters? Drop a comment! I've still got several ideas but they're pretty disjointed, so if I find a direction I'm interested in exploring from a reader's comment, I'll definitely let you know! You're all so amazing and nice to me ;)


	29. Sunday, December 31st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Year's Eve brings a quiet night.

White moonlight shone in through the window. There had been festivities, and some drinking (especially on Toshiya’s end), but now Yuuri and Viktor were lying in bed, watching the clock.

“I can’t believe this year’s almost over,” Viktor said.

“Me, neither.” Yuuri snuggled closer to Viktor, pulling the blanket over Viktor’s exposed shoulder. “And it’s only been a few months since I met you.”

“It feels like I’ve known you my whole life,” Viktor said. He laughed. “When I shook your hand and you fainted like that, I almost had a heart attack. I thought I’d killed you.”

“That wasn’t exactly my finest moment…”

“Yurio yelled at me for ten minutes.”

“I heard a little bit. I don’t remember what he said, though.”

“Mostly stuff about me being an airhead. You know how he is.”

“His heart is in the right place.”

The clock on the wall ticked, ticked, ticked.

“When we go back to school…” Yuuri cleared his throat. “I think you, I mean, if you want to, I think it’d be a good idea if you told the nurse about-”

“No,” Viktor said at once.

“Viktor, please, just hear me out-”

“All the teachers would know,” Viktor said. His voice, which had been so light moments ago, became as frigid as ice. “I can’t-”

_ “Viktor,” _ Yuuri insisted. “I didn’t want to tell the nurse about my anxiety. I don’t like talking about it. I don’t like looking… weak… any more than you do.”

Silence settled over them, pressing heavier than any blanket could.

“I don’t want to sound like some brochure,” said Yuuri, “but if you shut everyone out, you’ll only hurt worse. We just,  _ I _ just, I just want to help you be happy.”

“My father-”

Yuuri touched a finger to Viktor’s lips. “You’re more important than him. You’re more important than  _ anyone.” _

“I think you’re a little biased, Yuuri.”

“I am  _ not.” _ Yuuri laid back down and stared at the ceiling. “Please, Viktor, will you at least consider it? She’s really nice. Your happiness is more important than what anyone thinks of you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Viktor said at last.

“Thank you.”

Viktor reached for him, and Yuuri reached back. They wound around each other. Yuuri’s hands brushed against his touch bracelet, and Viktor’s heartbeat sped up.

They both tensed as the grandfather clock in the hallway let out a loud set of chimes. Yuuri counted them with bated breath.

“Twelve,” he said. “Happy New Year, Viktor-”

His last word choked off when he looked up and saw the look Viktor was giving him. It was tender, unguarded. Yuuri blinked, new energy running through his body.

Viktor placed a kiss on Yuuri’s forehead and smiled. “We have plenty of time, Yuuri.”

Yuuri was sure there had been some sort of subconscious conversation in which he missed half of the dialogue. “You’re right. We have plenty of time…” (He was only a tiny bit disappointed.)

Raucous laughter could be heard from downstairs, and Yuuri laughed.

“That’d be my dad.”

“He’s a cheerful drinker, isn’t he?” Viktor’s smile became rueful. “My dad’s a bit different.”

“You never really mentioned him,” Yuuri said tentatively.

“He’s… complicated.” Viktor pushed his bangs away from his face. “Since Mom left, he changed a lot…”

Their conversation ate up the earliest hours of the morning. Both of them knew they would regret the lost sleep in the morning, but they couldn’t bring themselves to care.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it some sort of holiday?? The last time I updated this quickly was last Christmas break, and that was on Rhythm of Love~
> 
> ANYways, I wanted to wrap up a few loose ends I noticed in the last chapter. Viktor's conversation with Yuuri contained a lot of info about his parents, which can be found in the comment section of Chapter 28. If you notice any more loose ends, please point them out to me in the comment section and I'll address them!! I'm tryin' my best here :\


	30. Friday, January 5th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to imapirahana98: I used their idea #2 as a little extra thing early on in this chap. I did save your ideas!! ^-^

“Can I take a language class?” 

Minako had her back to the wall and was typing on her laptop, looking up as Yuuri lowered his handwrapped fists. “I mean, sure, if you want. If you’re willing to give up your study hall.”

“I’ll be fine.” Yuuri took a swig from his water bottle. “I’m passing all my classes.”

“I saw your midyear report,” said Minako. “I’d say you’re doing great.”

“I don’t know if I’d call an 80 ‘doing great,’” Yuuri said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. (He was struggling in Magical Science a bit, mostly because so much of it was conceptual and it was easy for him to get lost.)

“You’ve got a lot on your plate,” she said, “and you’ve come a long way.” There was a hint of pride in her voice. “I can arrange the DNA test for this afternoon, if you’d like.”

“Yes, please,” Yuuri said, turning back to the heavy bag.

“What brought this on, anyways?” 

“Mom told me about this culture program in Crest, and I got kind of interested,” Yuuri said. “And I remembered what Viktor said about his class during my morning meditation.”

“He  _ would _ be proud of his Russian.” Minako checked her pager. “It’s almost time for partnerwork, you should start finishing up.”

“Shoot, I wanted to run my latest routine-”

“Go ahead,” Minako said. “I’ll tell Viktor where you are and that you’ll be a few minutes late.”

“You don’t have to tell him where I  _ am-” _

“Everyone already knows where you practice, Yuuri. You really might want to think about relocating.”

“But it’s the only room with the good mirrors.”

“True, true. Just keep a lookout for snipers,” said Minako, smirking and leaving the room.

 

The classroom had speakers available, but using headphones felt much more intimate. However, Yuuri’s latest choreography was explosive, to say the least, and he’d yanked out his earbuds on more than one occasion, so he switched back to using the speakers.

The soft bass of the song’s intro made the floor vibrate, and Yuuri spun on his toes, deftly shifting his center of gravity back and forth, creating an irregular circle in the middle of the room. He glanced at the windows, was reassured to see no one there, and confidently moved into the chorus.

His most violent movements came in the first four beats of the repetition. Somehow, he felt this routine was the closest to fighting that he’d come in his choreographing.

The air in the room was circling him, he realized, without him even thinking about it. It was warm, and as the song peaked, bass shaking him to the core, he realized his feet weren’t even touching the floor anymore.

He shrieked and fell, twisting an ankle, as the song finished. At the same time, Viktor slammed open the door.

“Yuuri!”

“Oww…” Yuuri winced as he sat up, dazed.

“You were levitating! How- You- Did Minako teach you?!”

“No, it was an accident,” Yuuri said, prodding at his ankle and determining he hadn’t inflicted any lasting damage. 

Viktor offered him his hand. Yuuri accepted it, and Viktor hauled him to his feet.

“That was amazing!” Viktor clapped his hands together. “You weren’t even  _ trying?” _

“I was just dancing.”

“Well, Magic  _ is _ tied to emotion, after all… I haven’t heard that song, is it new?”

“Yeah, it’s my first angry p-” Yuuri stopped, squinting at him. “Wait. What do you mean, you haven’t heard  _ that _ song?”

“Uh…”

Yuuri folded his arms.

“Your music is pretty loud, I can hear it in the hallway-”

“You don’t have any classes near here,” Yuuri pointed out.

Viktor sighed. “Okay… well, Phichit  _ might _ have brought me along with him a couple times-”

The disbelieving look on Yuuri’s face intensified.

“Okay, fine, I came  _ with _ him a couple times. Because I wanted to see you dance!” Viktor scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “You haven’t showed me anything. I’m dying of curiosity!” He blinked blue puppy-dog eyes.

“It’s okay, Viktor,” Yuuri said. “I guess I was sort of holding out on you. I wanted it all to be perfect before I showed you anything, but…”

“Oh, you don’t have to-” Viktor said as Yuuri crossed to where his pager was attached to the speakers.

“I want to,” Yuuri said, sounding much more assertive than he really felt. He scrolled through his “Emotion” playlist, mind racing through all of his rough choreography.

He couldn’t decide on any specific feeling. “Viktor, is there any emotion you’d like to see?”

“Well… the one you were just doing was for anger, right?”

Yuuri nodded.

“Maybe something happier?”

“Okay, I can work with that.”

From the pounding of his heart and the Magic simmering beneath his skin, Yuuri knew which song to choose. He pressed Culture Code’s icon, and the track began.

Much of his movement in this song involved his arms, and his vague gestures became directed towards Viktor. When the chorus hit, giddy with adrenaline, he took Viktor’s hands and pulled him into his dance. 

It was awkward at first, mostly bumping legs and nervous giggles, but Yuuri was too caught up in the music to stay nervous for long.

Somehow, a new side of Yuuri’s personality showed itself when he danced. He supposed some of it was the joy in sharing his dance with someone else, or the endorphins, or the natural high he felt, but really, he couldn’t explain it. All he knew was that he loved it, and he loved it ten times as much when it was with Viktor.

The synth line quieted, and the last notes of the song tapered off.

“Yuuri…”

He blinked at Viktor, vision a little blurry. Maybe his eyes were tired from the contacts?

“Yuuri, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what-?”

Viktor let go of one of Yuuri’s hands and pointed towards the ground. Upon closer inspection, Yuuri realized they were hovering  _ three feet above it. _

His vision sharpened and his breath hitched, but instead of letting himself lose control, he focused his Magic, and they barely wobbled in the air.

“How are you…?”

“I have no idea,” Yuuri said. He could feel the air wreathing them, almost like an aura. If he brought it closer to them, he could feel the pressure, but if he loosened it, his concentration started to slip.

“This is  _ awesome,” _ Viktor said. “How do you  _ do _ it?”

“I keep telling you I don’t know,” Yuuri reminded him, keeping a gentle focus. “It just… happens.”

“You’re not consciously trying?”

“No…”

“Weird. Has it ever happened before?”

A wry smile bent Yuuri’s lips. “In my old Biology class.”

“Oh.  _ Oh.” _ Viktor bit his lip. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said. “But it doesn’t make sense. Why would it-”

“Hey, what are you losers d-”

Yuuri and Viktor’s heads snapped to the side to see Yuri and Otabek standing in the doorway of the classroom. Yuri’s mouth was hanging open, and Otabek actually looked startled.

“Hi, guys!” Viktor said brightly.

Yuri looked like he’d been slapped. “How… the hell…”

“Viktor, I don’t know how to bring us down,” Yuuri whispered, trying not to panic.

“Should we get a teacher?” Otabek asked from halfway down the steps.

“Nah,” Yuri said in an oddly casual tone. “Hey, look at me,” he said, voice taking on a stern note. “Hey, Yuuri, fucking look at me.”

Yuuri looked at Yuri, who was standing at the bottom of the steps and appeared to be shrinking.

“You can feel your Magic, right?” he called up to Yuuri. “You should be able to feel it around you. The temperature, the pressure. Can you feel it?”

“Y… yeah.” 

“Air goes up naturally, like heat,” Yuri said. His voice was surprisingly level and serious. “You’ve done temperature stuff in class. Can you make the air colder?”

Yuuri remembered what the work he’d done in his groupwork class with temperature. Slowly, unsteadily, he drew some of his Magic closer to his heart, and the air around them began to chill. They drifted down to the floor, Viktor’s hands clutching his shoulders for dear life.

Back on the ground, Yuuri felt calm again. “Thank you so much, Yuri. I never would’ve thought to do that on my own.”

“Yeah, well. You’re welcome.” Yuri shoved his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. “Good job, or whatever.” 

“You should tell your supervisor that you can levitate,” Otabek said. 

“I will,” Yuuri said, “next time I see her. What are you two doing down here, anyways?”

“Ms. Baranovskaya makes Yura practice in one of the sheltered classrooms on this floor,” Otabek said. “I was walking him to the rec room.”

“What a gentleman!” Viktor exclaimed. “I was thinking of bringing Yuuri to the rec room as well. Let’s walk together, mm?”

“Do you guys have much homework?” Yuuri asked as they headed to the Core.

“Not really,” Yuri said. “It always takes a few weeks before all the teachers remember to be assholes.”

Otabek smirked, and Yuri rolled his eyes at him.

“Yuuri’s getting his DNA done tonight,” Viktor said.

“Congrats,” Yuri said shortly.

Yuuri glanced over at Otabek and Yuri. “Are either of you in a language class?” 

“I’m in this moron’s Russian course,” said Yuri, jerking a thumb towards Viktor.

“Hey! I’m not a-”

“And you, Otabek?” Yuuri asked, ignoring Viktor and Yuri’s squabbling.

“I’m doing an independent study on Kazakh,” Otabek said.

“Oh.”

“It’s almost dead at this point,” Otabek continued quietly. “It’s related to Russian, but it’s a Turkic language, while Russian is Slavic. So much of the vocabulary is oral, though, and the alphabet is very fragmented.”

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said awkwardly.

Otabek offered him a small half-smile. “I enjoy connecting to my roots. I hope that someday, we’ll be able to recover more written material the Widest Sweep didn’t destroy.”

“I hope that, too.”

Viktor appeared between them and flung his arms around their shoulders. “Why the long faces? We’re going to have so much fun playing  _ Second Life: Seasons! _ Yurio just told me about a fantasy addition he downloaded-”

“It’s called a  _ mod, _ old man.”

“We’re less than five years apart!”

“Yura.”

_ “What?!” _

Yuuri had no clue what  _ Second Life: Seasons _ was, but followed his three friends to the rec room without question. The space itself was roomy, with many wide windows, a row of computers, and a corner with large television sets in a few sectioned slots. Only a few students were in there, mostly circled around someone playing a computer game. Yuri and Otabek made a beeline for the sectioned part of the room, leaving Yuuri and Viktor to hurry after them.

“What  _ are _ these?” 

The sectioned places looked like office cubicles, but with large monitors and curtains over the exits. A box was set on the floor next to several swiveling chairs.

“They’re gaming rigs, duh,” Yuri said. “You can fit three people per console. Two on two.”

“Do you know how these work?” Yuuri asked Viktor.

“No clue.”

Otabek, much to Yuri’s annoyance, showed Viktor and Yuuri how to put on the headsets, visors, and connect to the main menu. Yuuri and Viktor knocked heads many times looking all around, marvelling at the strange technology.

“I had no idea you could play games that are all around you!” Viktor exclaimed.

“The controllers are wireless,” Yuri said through Yuuri’s headphones, making him jump “Click on the  _ Second Life _ icon and join the first server.”

Yuuri was disoriented at this new way of gaming for a while; he’d never been much for video games, anyways, but this was incredibly cool. He entered the server using the controller and entered a smoky room. Three identical figures were standing nearby.

“Oh, it’s Yuuri!” Viktor’s voice came through his headphones.

“How are you doing that?”

“It’s called a com circle,” came Yuri’s voice, “or just a com. It’s only a microphone, nothing special.”

“We can make our avatars now,” came Otabek’s voice. One of the figures pointed upwards, and Yuuri looked up, almost falling out of his chair, to see a swirling globe above him. He was sucked up into it, and a new screen appeared, showing an ambiguous human with a series of customizing options.

Most of their time was spent being yelled at by Yuri. In the end, he made them a four-man team of a soldier (himself), an archer (Otabek), a mage (Yuuri), and a healer (Viktor).

“Why do I have to be the healer?” Viktor complained.

“Healers are important,” Otabek said. 

“Yeah, we need you to keep an eye on our lameass mage,” Yuri said. “Otabek and I are both near level 75 now, so we won’t be needing your help.”

“Wow, how much time do you two spend on this game?”

“Few hours a day,” Otabek said. “We can help you both level up before we take on any quests.”

“Speak for yourself. We should just leave ‘em to figure it out-”

“Wasn’t it you who suggested using them to tackle the quad dungeon?” Otabek interrupted.

Viktor huffed. “Are you saying we’re just pawns to you?”

“No,” Yuri snapped.

“A means to an end,” Otabek said.

“At least they’re honest,” Yuuri said, smiling. He selected a hairstyle and hit ‘enter.’

They completely lost track of time as they played, with Viktor and Yuuri figuring out the controls, Yuri getting pissed off every other second, and Otabek keeping the area clear of enemies so Yuuri and Viktor wouldn’t be killed on sight. By the time Yuuri remembered they should have signed out long ago, he and Viktor were approaching level 40 and it was halfway through dinnertime.

“We missed our assignment!” Yuuri exclaimed, nearly knocking Viktor out of his chair. “Oh, Yakov is going to kill us-”

“Yuuri, relax,” Viktor said. “It’s just one day of shoveling. He won’t kill us or anything.”

“Ha, you’re on shoveling duty?” Yuri rounded the corner, arms stretched high over his head. “Yakov’s short-handed as it is. He’s gonna be pissed.”

Viktor shrugged, smiling. “I’ll talk to him, explain we lost track of time. What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

“The results will be in by Monday,” Minako said. “Where’s Viktor? He’s always waiting around for you in one place or another.”

“I think he’s being chewed out by Yakov,” Yuuri admitted. “We didn’t show up for shoveling, and he was telling us the other day that the trail to the greenhouse had to be cleared…”

“Ooh, yikes. I don’t envy him.” Minako patted Yuuri on the back. “Night, Yuuri, see you tomorrow. Don’t forget to meditate!”

Yuuri made a face. “I won’t.”

As he walked back to his room, Yuuri felt a soft sensation from his touch bracelet. He glanced down at it and saw it was turning a faint blue color. 

The door to his room was ajar. Yuuri opened it, and was met with the sight of Viktor lying on his bed, back to the wall and feet pointing up at the ceiling. His head was turned to the side, and he was rubbing his forehead, but at the sight of Yuuri he paused, hand halfway over one eye.

“Hi, Yuuri,” he said.

“Are you okay?”

Viktor blinked. “I’m fine. Sorry about your window.”

“My window?”

Said window was shattered, and there was glass scattered over Yuuri’s desk.

“Why did you- Oh. Did you… climb over here from your room?”

“Yeah.” Viktor rolled over onto his stomach, brushing his bangs back into place. “I made an ice bridge.”

“Why…?”

“I wanted to surprise you,” said Viktor, “but I sort of just got lost in thought.”

_ That’s all? _

“Well,” Yuuri said, pulling his pager from his jacket pocket. “I’ll ask Phichit to come up and fix my window. He said he’s getting better at reassembly. Did Yakov yell at you?”

“A little.” Viktor’s voice was muffled. Yuuri looked up from messaging Phichit to see that Viktor had buried his face in Yuuri’s pillow.

_ Please come quick, I don’t know what’s up with Viktor but he’s acting weird,  _ he added onto his previous message.

_ I’m in the Sphaer-up now,  _ Phichit sent.  _ Ask him what’s wrong. _

“Viktor, are you sure you’re okay?” Yuuri sat down on the edge of his bed. “You seem… out of it.”

“I’m just tired.” Viktor smiled up at Yuuri, face falling slightly when he saw Yuuri’s expression. “Really. I’ve been on edge for a few days, is all. Is that a new jacket?”

“It’s one of my old workout windbreakers,” Yuuri said. “Mom stuck it in my suitcase before we left.”

A knock came at the door, and Yuuri let Phichit in. 

“Magical mishap?” he said cheerfully. Waving a hand, the shards of glass flew together, melting into a flat pane and fitting back into the frame of the window.

“That’s amazing, Phichit,” said Yuuri.

“Yeah, well, I haven’t been practicing reassembly for a year and a half for nothing.” Phichit nudged Viktor’s leg. “How’d it go with Yakov?”

“He almost brained me with a novel,” Viktor said, “but Ms. Baranovskaya showed up at the last minute and stopped him.”

“Sounds harrowing,” Phichit said. “Did you guys hear that December’s Summit games got moved to tomorrow?” He grinned. “You guys were a kickass team, you should sign up again.”

“I don’t know,” Viktor said. “That might be unfair to the other competitors, because we’re so good and all.”

“Hey, don’t get too cocky,” Phichit fired back. “Sara, Mila, Leo, and I are a team this time, and you’re going down.”

“How do you even know we’ll be sorted into the same round?”

“Hey, am I getting signed up for this with no say again?” Yuuri cut in.

Viktor made a pouty face, and Yuuri smiled at him. “I’m kidding. At least this time I know what I’m in for.”

“I’ll see you after we win,” Phichit said, flashing a peace sign and darting from the room.

“He likes to have the last word, doesn’t he?” 

“Mm.”

“So.” Yuuri tucked his hair behind one ear. “Uhm. You didn’t break your window as well, did you?”

“No, I just opened it.”

Yuuri bit his lip. “So… do you want to go back to your room?”

“Not really…” Viktor looked up at him, eyebrows drawn together, glints of blue showing through strands of his silver hair. “Yuuri, can I… can I please stay here tonight?”

He looked so vulnerable that Yuuri’s heart just about stopped beating. 

“Sure,” Yuuri said, fighting a losing battle to keep his voice from wavering. “We should, uhm, get to sleep soon. Just let me get changed…”

Viktor kept staring at him as he crossed to his closet, and Yuuri was mortified to find that his hands were shaking hard enough so he fumbled with the handles.

“Yuuri.” Viktor’s voice had the lilt of a question.

“Sorry,” Yuuri muttered, finally succeeding in opening the doors.

“I won’t look,” Viktor said. 

Yuuri let out a soft breath. “Okay.”

He unzipped his jacket and squirmed out of his pants. The growing muscles in his thighs made most of his jeans unwearable, and even sweatpants were sometimes too tight. His socks were thrown into the laundry pile as well, and finally Yuuri wasn’t wearing anything but boxers and a blush.

When he turned back around, Viktor, as promised, was staring out the window. When Yuuri hit the lightswitch, he heard a rustling of blankets. There was no light in the room, but Yuuri found the bed and climbed onto it.

“Do you need to go get PJ’s from your room?” he asked, moving the blankets aside.

“No. I usually sleep in the nude anyways.”

Yuuri spluttered something unintelligible, almost falling off the bed in his panic, and Viktor laughed close to his ear. Arms wrapped around him and pulled him back from the edge.

“I was kidding.”

“Oh.”

Someone walked past the room, causing both of them to freeze.

“Are you wearing a shirt?”

Yuuri blushed. “No.”

“Aren’t you cold?”

He had never felt warmer. Blood was thrumming in his veins, conveniently seeming to avoid circulating to his brain. “...Not really.”

Their wrists crossed, bracelets brushing. A faint light passed between them.

A shiver ran down Yuuri’s spine. “Are they supposed to do that?”

“Probably.”

Viktor shifted around under the blankets, and Yuuri was unsure what he was doing until an article of clothing hit him in the face. 

“Did you just throw your pants at me?!”

“No. I… tossed them.”

Torn between embarrassment and laughter, Yuuri settled on the latter and giggled, settling back on his pillow. Viktor sidled up next to him, bumping their heads together.

“This is the third time we’ve shared a bed, isn’t it?”

Viktor’s voice was close to his ear, and his breath was hot. “Yeah, I think so.”

“I know I’m asking this a lot,” Yuuri said, turning to lie on his back, “but are you really okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay. I was…” Viktor sighed, and laughed, self-deprecation apparent in his inflection. “I was lonely.”

“Oh. Okay.” Yuuri shut his eyes. “I’m glad you came, then. You can come whenever you want.”

“Yuuri?”

“Mmn?” Yuuri was getting sleepy, thoughts slowing down…

“What am I to you?”

Yuuri wasn’t sleepy anymore. “H… huh?”

“Sorry. I think I’m just tired-” Viktor shifted, moving away from Yuuri and starting to climb over his legs. “I’ll leave, sorry to-”

The glow of Viktor’s bracelet gave away his location, and Yuuri grabbed his wrist.

“Wait,” he said softly. “Why are you running away?”

“I’m sorry,” Viktor repeated. “I just, I show up in your room out of nowhere because I’m clingy, and then I go and randomly ask weird questions, and I-”

“Viktor, just slow down,” Yuuri said. “Are you-” He stopped himself, carefully considering his next words. “You know I… like you. You know that, right?”

“I mean, sort of-”

“I like you,” Yuuri said forcefully. “I like you a lot, even though we’ve only known each other for a few months. You’re my-” He swallowed. “You’re my closest friend.”

“Is that all?” Viktor’s voice was low. Somehow, despite the fact that Viktor’s tone often let Yuuri read him like a book, Yuuri couldn’t place the emotion behind those three words.

“I…” Yuuri’s face was flaming, and his heart was beating an erratic pulse in his ears. “I don’t, I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yuuri…” The way Viktor rolled the ‘r’ in his name should be, Yuuri felt, illegal.

“Are you really asking me to  _ confess  _ to you?” Yuuri blurted.

Viktor was silent.

The darkness seemed to press down on Yuuri’s chest. He was shivering, lost in a haze of anxiety, and at a loss for what to do.

“What do you want me to say?” he asked.

“I want you to tell me the truth,” Viktor said in a flat tone. “Do you like me or not.”

“I like you,” he said again. His heart rate picked up, and somehow he found himself continuing. “Even in the beginning, even when you thought of me as… immature. Everyone was teasing me. Everyone  _ still _ teases me,” he corrected. “Because I like you.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

_ “Ugh, _ are you  _ really  _ going to make me do this?” Yuuri covered his face with his hands (a fruitless gesture, as neither of them could see the other). “I like you. I  _ like _ like you.”

Again Viktor was silent. Yuuri’s entire body was rigid in suspense. He took a few shallow breaths, trying to stifle his nerves.

“Viktor, please say something,” he blurted after a minute of silence.

“Thank  _ god,” _ Viktor whispered, and a second weight, something much warmer and softer, crashed into Yuuri. There was only a hint of light in the room, but Yuuri could see the glint of Viktor’s hair by his shoulder as he hugged Yuuri.

“I was afraid I was being too overbearing,” Viktor gushed, fingers skating back and forth across Yuuri’s spine. “I’ve been wanting to ask you since break, but I could never find the right time, and I wanted to surprise you with something romantic, but I messed that up, too, Madeline just laughed at me-”

“Woah, woah, slow down!  _ What?” _

“Nothing. Nothing, it’s not important!” Viktor giggled, squeezing Yuuri’s shoulders. “My heart is beating so fast. Can you feel it?”

The electricity zipping up and down Yuuri’s spine felt more incredible than any Magic he’d ever experienced. “Yeah” was all he could manage.

“I really like you, Yuuri,” said Viktor.

“I really like you, too, Viktor,” Yuuri replied, cringing immediately. “God, that sounded super cheesy. Sorry.”

“No, it’s not cheesy. It’s cute.” Viktor released him and went to lie down again. “We need to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s another big day…”

Yuuri doubted he’d ever sleep again, but he rested his head next to Viktor’s, startling when Viktor snuggled closer to him. Their bare chests were pressed together, and Yuuri was frozen, stiff and awkward.

“Relax, Yuuri,” Viktor whispered into his ear. “Just relax.”

Yuuri almost melted into a puddle. Instead of melting, he opted to lie in Viktor’s arms, trying to relax and hoping he wasn’t half as sweaty and smelly as he feared.

He was close to sleep when Viktor spoke again.

“I never thought you were immature,” he said in a muffled voice. 

“Hmnh… then… why did you treat me the way you did?”

“I was being an airhead, mostly,” Viktor said, fingers fluttering over themselves and ghosting over the back of Yuuri’s neck. “I didn’t know what to make of you. Thought you were a shy one. I should’ve gotten to know you before I made assumptions.”

“I forgive you.”

Viktor laughed. “Thanks.”

Their wrists brushed again, and their touch bracelets glowed, the only light in the dark room.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Another update for you all, thanks for waiting :) I was worried I'd be late, seeing as I've been in transit on a yacht, but thank god for semi-decent boat Wifi! I have been not very productive (besides all this writing haha) and have been playing a lot of Deemo. I suck, but I'm improving slowly :P
> 
> Hope y'all liked the chap, including the pointless but fun filler (did anyone like the game scene, or should I scrap it? just wondering)... And the confession scene!! It's weird and awkward and fits their characters. More to come, as of course you would expect. Y'all are welcome to offer cute and fluffy (or angsty, because we're suckers for pain) ideas you'd like me to tie in. I consider all of them!!
> 
> Also, this fic is crazily close to 10,000 views!! I am blown away and also terrified :>
> 
> Comments give me life!! If you have any questions or have noticed any loose ends, please let me know! I can address them, or assure you that I will be addressing them in future chapters :)


	31. Monday, January 8th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school OTP officially becomes canon, and shenanigans ensue.

“It’s fine,” Mr. Vigil said as Yuuri growled under his breath. “We can try again tomorrow. You should get going to your weekly.”

“But, but I haven’t been able to-”

“Don’t rush yourself. We have plenty of time, and levitation is a difficult skill to master.” Mr. Vigil gave him a kind smile. “I’ll see you in groupwork tomorrow.”

Running a hand through his hair, Yuuri stalked down the hall towards the Core. As he turned the corner to take the stairs, he ran directly into Viktor.

“Oh, sorry-”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Viktor had put his hands on Yuuri’s waist to steady him. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you.”

Yuuri hunched his shoulders, looking down and away from Viktor’s prying eyes.

“Are you upset at me?” Yuuri asked in a small voice.

And at the same time: “Are you dumping me?”

They blinked at each other for a long moment.

“We’re not-” Yuuri spluttered. “Wh, wha, what do you-”

“I’m not mad!” Viktor let go of Yuuri and stared at him, one hand against his forehead. “I’ve been afraid for the past three days that you’ve been ignoring me!”

“I haven’t been  _ ignoring _ you-”

“You have  _ so-” _

“Well, what am I supposed to  _ do?!” _ Yuuri buried his face in his hands, and his voice came out muffled. “I mean, I told you that I have a  _ crush _ on you, it’s  _ awkward-” _

“I thought you were  _ breaking up _ with me! Why else would you be ignoring me-”

“We’re  _ dating-?” _

They stood in awkward silence. Finally, Yuuri looked up at Viktor over the tops of his glasses, tugging up the collar of his turtleneck. He was about to speak, maybe apologize, when Viktor grabbed his shoulders.

“Will you go out with me?” Viktor blurted.

Yuuri was sure he was going to get whiplash from the numerous directions this conversation had shot in.

“Yeah,” he replied.

Viktor’s face lit up. “Yeah?”

Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Yeah. I’d like that. Why didn’t you ask sooner?”

“You snuck out of the room!” Viktor fanned at his face, looking a bit giddy. 

“I was scared,” Yuuri admitted. “I thought maybe you were drunk or something. It seemed like a dream, like, like I’d wake up and it never happened.”

“It did, I promise!!” Viktor held him at a distance for a second, seeming to be debating with himself, then pulled Yuuri into a hug.

“We should work on our communication skills,” Yuuri said into the material of Viktor’s sweater.

“I’ll communicate with you as much as you want,” Viktor said into Yuuri’s hair. “However. Whenever. In Russian.”

“I can’t speak Russian,” said Yuuri, trying not to laugh.

“Even better.”

Yuuri stepped back from Viktor, a sweet warmth flowering in his stomach and whirling through his bloodstream. Viktor was looking at him, then away, and then back to him, and Yuuri felt too shy to meet his eyes.

He checked his watch and his eyes widened. “Viktor, it’s almost 4:45! We can’t be late again-”

“Oh yeah, didn’t Yakov reassign us to his weekly?” Viktor grabbed Yuuri’s hand as they ran for the Sphaer-up. “Where were you for that, anyways? Yakov never said.”

“In the nurse’s.” Yuuri’s laugh was only a bit winded; maybe he was in better shape than he’d thought. “She was worried about my levitating. Said something about coming of age.”

“Maybe she meant because you’re almost eighteen?”

“I honestly have no clue.”

When they reached the Center, Yakov was waiting, arms folded and looking unimpressed.

“We’re not late!” Viktor said.

“Yes,” Yakov said, “but neither of you are wearing anything even  _ remotely _ fit for working outside.”

“Oh.” Yuuri glanced at Viktor. “Oops.”

“You have five minutes,” said Yakov. 

Yuuri swore he saw a ghost of a smile on Yakov’s face as he and Viktor bolted for the Ramp.

 

“Hey, guys!”

Viktor and Yuuri turned to see Phichit flagging them down from a table nearby.

“How was it?” he asked as they collapsed onto the bench across from him.

“Brutal.” Viktor rolled his shoulders, wincing as one of them made a popping sound. “Yakov has no mercy.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Yuuri said. “It was a good workout.”

“Oh.” Phichit made a face. “I was gonna invite you guys to go to the workout room with me and Georgi after dinner, but you look wiped. Another time?”

Yuuri was about to reply when Viktor put a hand over his, stood up, and leaned across the table to whisper something in Phichit’s ear. Phichit grinned when Viktor sat back down.

“Good idea,” he said, smile creeping onto his face. “I’ll get Mickey and Sara on board.”

“Maybe Yurio and Otabek as well?” Viktor rubbed his hands together. “Not sure where they’ve got to, but they always love a bit of fun.”

Phichit pointed to the line leading to the pizza cart. “There they are.”

“I’ll let them know!” Viktor stood and made a beeline for the duo.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s a surprise.” Phichit grinned. “A  _ better _ question is, what’s going on with  _ you _ two?”

Yuuri stammered something ridiculous, and Phichit’s grin became even wider.

“I knew it!” He whipped out his pager. “This is going right on iM-”

“Wait, don’t!”

Phichit lowered his pager. “Aww, why not?”

“I mean, it’s just-” Yuuri blushed. “I don’t want, I don’t… I want to tell people ourselves. Before they find out through iM.”

“You’re gonna go around all of Apricus and tell  _ everyone _ you’re dating?”

“Not  _ everyone, _ just, y’know, our friends-”

“Woah, wait, you’re  _ actually dating?!” _

“Huh…?”

Just as Phichit grabbed Yuuri in a bear hug across the table, Viktor arrived with Otabek and Yuri in tow.

“What’s wrong with  _ you?” _ Yuri asked.

“It’s canon!” Phichit was practically squealing. “MY OTP IS CANON!”

“Phichit, get  _ off,” _ Yuuri complained, face flushing ruby-red as he tried to push Phichit’s flailing arms away from him.

Yuuko, Minami, JJ, and Seung Gil chose that exact moment to arrive.

“What’s all the ruckus about?” Yuuko asked.

“Tell those firsties to get to writing,” said Phichit, “because our OTP is canon!”

Viktor gave Yuuri a confused look.  _ “What?” _

“I don’t know,” Yuuri mouthed back.

“Oh my god!” Yuuko joined in on the hug. “Congratulations, Yuuri! It was only a matter of time, really.”

“Wait, this is a thing? Like,  _ actually _ a thing?” There were stars in Minami’s eyes.

Chris sauntered over to them, arm linked with Alexandre’s. “So, you two’re finally an item?” 

Yuuri set his forehead against Viktor’s shoulder, turning his face away from the rest of their friend group. He’d spent so much of the past day blushing that he was starting to get a headache.

“Aw, he’s hiding!”

Viktor looked down when Yuuri tapped his shoulder, and leaned towards him.

“I’m so confused,” Yuuri whispered.

“Me too,” Viktor whispered back. 

“This is payback,” Phichit said, having apparently rounded the table. He was circling them and snapping pictures. “Payback for your smug win.”

“Hey, we got the flag fair and square,” Yuri said, smirking. “You still mad?”

“We would’ve  _ won, _ fair and square,” said Phichit, “if  _ someone _ hadn’t stolen the flag.”

“It’s not against the rules,” Viktor said. 

“It’s against the rules of friendship!”

“All’s fair in love and war,” Viktor replied, glancing down at Yuuri again.

“I can’t believe Viktor got someone to date him before I did,” JJ complained.

Yuuri frowned. “Hey, it’s not like he  _ forced _ me or anything-”

“Yeah, you’re just  _ jealous,” _ Viktor said teasingly, putting his arm around Yuuri.

“Too cute!” Phichit jumped up on the table for a better angle.

“You two looked pretty badass taking out those holograms,” Otabek said.

“Our strategy worked well last time, so we thought we’d give it another try,” Viktor said. “Yuuri did all the real work. The water I brought kept freezing.”

Yuuri waved off the praise. “It  _ was _ cold, wasn’t it?”

“It was negative five out,” Minami said, “but you guys still looked great! I wanna be on a team sometime.”

“Maybe if we can find another Ignis.” JJ winked and flashed his signature ‘J’s. “We’ll kick your asses for sure!”

“Language,” Yuuko said, bopping his arm with her tray.

“You’re not my mom-”

“We’re taking Yuuri to the poles after lunch,” Viktor said, interrupting their incoming spat.

“Ooh, I finally get to teach him the basics?” Chris asked. “You were so set against it when I offered, Viktor-”

“Not that kind!” Viktor glowered at Chris. “The races. I meant the races.”

“Spoilsport,” Chris pouted.

Yuuri touched Viktor’s hand. “Races?”

“You’ll see.”

“Will we be late for the weekly?”

“Probably not…”

“Viktor-”

“We won’t be late! Promise! Everyone’s really excited to show you another one of our Apricus traditions, Yuuri.”

“You mean  _ you’re _ excited,” Yuri grumbled.

“Aw, c’mon, Yurio, you like them too.”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

As they went to put their trays on the conveyor belt, Madeline flagged Yuuri down from her place at the dessert bar.

“Hi, Madeline,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Nothin’ much,” she said. “Just wonderin’ if Viktor ever got his cake to ya.”

“Huh?”

Madeline giggled. “He didn’t, did he? Always was a perfectionist, that boy.” He lowered her voice, and Yuuri had to lean in to hear. “He tried t’ make ya a late birthday present, some cupcakes or somethin’, but he kept burnin’ ‘em. Poor kid got so frustrated.”

Yuuri recalled what Viktor had said those few nights ago. “He did mention it before, but we, um, got… distracted…”

“Wouldn’ let me help at all.” She patted his shoulder, smiling. “He’s a sweetie. Keep him, will ya?”

“How, how did you-”

“Your friend posted stuff to iM just a few min’ ago-”

“Ugh,  _ Phichit!” _

Having whirled around, Yuuri saw that the cafeteria was nearly deserted.

“Saw ‘em go towards th’ Core,” Madeline said, turning back around. “Have fun! Y’ve got some troublemakers there, that’s f’sure-”

A loud scream echoed over, and Yuuri bolted across the empty cafeteria to the lean over the railing. It was a dizzying distance down to the Sump, and two of the four empty poles were occupied by JJ and Seung Gil, who were sliding down the poles at a rapid pace. Seung Gil hit the floor first.

Viktor was down a few floors, and he looked up and waved to Yuuri. “Come on, Yuuri! We can go next!”

Yuuri called a Sphaera, took it down two floors, and rounded the expanse to reach the rest of his friends.

“What’s all this?” he asked, craning his neck to watch Mila and Sara racing down the poles. Mila was upside down, shrieking with glee, and Sara was laughing her head off.

“We just call it the races,” Alexandre said. “The teachers  _ hate _ it.”

“I’m sure they’ll come up to stop us soon,” Chris said cheerfully. “Hey, Viktor, you and Yuuri should pair-race me and Alex.”

“You’re on,” Viktor said.

“Viktor,” Yuuri protested.

“Just follow my lead,” Viktor said, walking over to the pole and looking down. “Come on, Yuuri. Sara will catch us if we fall.”

Even glancing down at the ground gave Yuuri vertigo. “Do I get on your back, or-?”

“No.” Viktor wrapped his legs around the pole, one further down than the other to hold him in place. He extended one arm to Yuuri. “Put your legs around me.”

Yuuri sat on the edge of the ledge and inched forward, keeping his eyes fixed on Viktor. He hooked one foot around Viktor’s waist, trying to keep his face level, and closed the distance until they were both wrapped around the pole, face to face, with Yuuri sitting on top of Viktor’s feet and Viktor’s arms resting on Yuuri’s shoulders.

“Ready?” Chris called. Several yards away, Chris and Alexandre were waiting, positioned the same way Viktor and Yuuri were. 

“Hell yes!” Viktor looked up. “Yurio, will you count for us?”

“Don’t fucking call me that!” Yuri yelled from overhead.

_ “Ledyanoy kotenok, _ please count for us?”

Yuri snarled, and Viktor and Yuuri slid down a few feet. 

“Any day now,” said Viktor, “my legs are getting tired.”

“Yeah, yeah, old man, I’ve got it.” Yuri looked over the ledge. “Three, two, one, go!”

Viktor’s legs loosened around the pole, and Yuuri’s stomach flipped over as they shot downwards.

Looking down, Yuuri saw the floor rushing up at them at an alarmingly fast rate — one that might break their legs. Gathering his Magic, he condensed the air beneath them, concentration fluctuating as adrenaline flooded his veins. 

They hit the floor and fell into a heap, and Viktor scrambled to his feet. “Did we win?”

Yuuri was too winded to respond, and Alexandre and Chris sauntered up to them. 

“Two seconds ahead of you,” Alexandre explained.

“Yeah, we’re the veteran couple, it makes sense we’d win.” Chris kissed his boyfriend’s cheek. “You’ll have to try harder next time.”

“We will,” Viktor promised, turning to look at Yuuri. “Wanna go again, Yuuri?”

They did go again, three times. The third time, Yuuri let a Sphaera chase him, and landed on his feet at the bottom. The Sphaera nearly cracked, bouncing off the floor, and Yuuri stumbled into Viktor’s arms.

“Woah, there-”

Yuuri looked up at him. He’d removed his glasses out of fear of breaking them. He watched Viktor’s face morph into something dreamier as he stared at Yuuri. A bead of sweat traced Viktor’s cheekbone.

“What are you looking at?” Yuuri couldn’t resist asking.

“You look…” Viktor licked his lower lip, unblinking. “Hot.”

“It is a little hot in here.” Yuuri stood up, raking his hair back with one hand and smirking at Viktor. A foreign feeling, a heat not altogether uncomfortable, roiled in his gut.

“Get a  _ room, _ you two,” Chris said, fanning himself and chuckling. “I can practically  _ taste _ the sexual tension over there~”

The heat dissipated. Blushing furiously, Yuuri tried to send a small gust of air to ruffle Chris’ hair, but ended up almost knocking him over. As he was apologizing, Otabek and Yuri arrived, nearly crushing them in their hurry to hit the ground running.

“What’s wr-”

“VITYA,” boomed a familiar voice. “I KNOW YOU’RE HERE.”

Viktor seized Yuuri’s hand and dragged him through an open doorway. Yuri and Otabek were hot on their heels, and the rest of their friend group dispersed in a blink.

“Where are we going?” Yuuri asked, trying to keep up with Viktor.

“Also, it’s against the rules to use Magic outside of the classroom,” Otabek said. He had Yuri slung over his shoulder, and Yuri looked relatively disgruntled.

“If Yakov catches us again, we’re dead,” Viktor said. 

“This happens a lot?”

“Mrs. Baranovskaya  _ hates _ it,” said Yuri, grinning. “She and Yakov are like the pole police or some shit.”

They reached a back stairway and took the steps three at a time. Their rooms were only on the second floor, so they were barely winded by the time they reached Viktor’s room. As soon as Viktor unlocked his door, they all flung themselves inside, and Viktor slammed the door shut. The four of them collapsed on Viktor’s bed, breathing hard.

“That was fucking sick,” Yuri said, a wild grin on his face. He kicked at the air, letting out a strangled laugh and knocking Otabek off the bed. “That was  _ sick! _ Oh, sorry, Beka-”

“How about we lay off the pole-racing,” Otabek said, sitting in Viktor’s desk chair. 

Yuri flopped over the top of Viktor’s desk, crushing his homework. “You’re no fun…”

Viktor looked over at Yuuri, who was still trying to catch his breath. “You okay, Yuuri?”

“Mm, cardio isn’t my strong suit,” Yuuri managed. He returned Viktor’s grin and was reaching for his hand when someone started banging on the door.

“Viktor Nikiforov,” Yakov snapped in a muffled voice. “I know you and your friends were abusing the the Sphaera conductors. If you don’t come out here right now, I’m confiscating your pager.”

“He’s bluffing,” Viktor whispered. “Keep quiet and he’ll go away.”

After a minute, Yakov stomped away. Yuri and Otabek stood.

“See you guys tomorrow,” Otabek said.

“See you!” Viktor waved as they closed the door behind them.

“Well, now it’s just the two of us,” Viktor said.

“Isn’t it against school rules to have your boyfriend in your room with the door shut?” Yuuri said teasingly.

“Who cares?” Viktor crawled over to Yuuri and stretched out beside him. “We already broke a bunch of rules today. What’s a few more?”

“Mm, that’s true…”

The right sleeve of Viktor’s sweater rode up as he lifted a hand to Yuuri’s face, and Yuuri saw he had new bandages on his wrist and arm. Viktor noticed Yuuri’s eyes drawn down and smiled.

“I went to see the nurse,” he said, almost shyly. “You were right. She promised she’d keep it confidential, and she gave me a big list of alternative activities when I get emotional.”

“She’s really nice,” Yuuri said. He locked eyes with Viktor, head turned to the side.

“I’m starting my Japanese class tomorrow,” he said. 

“Too bad you’re not Russian.”

“Do I look Russian to you?”

“I don’t really know what a Russian person is supposed to look like!”

“Paler than me,” Yuuri said, one corner of his mouth quirking up. “Skinny. Muscular.”

“You’re muscular,” Viktor objected.

“I’m usually not.”

“That’s fine!” Viktor poked his cheek. “I don’t care what you look like.”

“Oh.” 

Yuuri exhaled, and Viktor’s breath fanned across his face. Viktor’s sweater was soft against his hands. He found his eyes half-lidded, and he leaned closer-

They both jumped, flailing away from each other, as the door was slammed open. Yakov stood in the doorway, one fist raised, and behind him, Mrs. Baranovskaya looked so angry she might have been breathing fire.

“Yakov,” Viktor began, “it’s not what it looks li-”

“DETENTION FOR A WEEK.”

“But-”

“NO BUTS-”

Yuuri crept from the room after being scolded by Yakov for almost ten minutes, and Lilia gave him a stern look as he passed her. Back in his room, Yuuri was getting ready for bed when he received a message from Viktor.

_ I hid it down my pants >:3 _

After opening and closing his mouth a few times, Yuuri simply replied:  _ I have no idea how to respond to that  _ and fell asleep smiling like an idiot.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make a note saying "sorry for making y'all wait so long" but now that I've checked, it's only been a little over a week since I updated... time has been dragging SO hard these days. Sorry for making y'all wait so long anyways :)
> 
> Anyways, it's been literal insanity these days, and my mood swings have been... swing-y. Very swing-y. It's been a busy couple weeks and it's only gonna get busier soon. I'm taking finals early (next week) and attending a girl's leadership summit the week after, so I don't even know if I'll have time to write then. (I'm sure I'll find SOME, but not as much as usual.) Then I see my dad for two weeks, and my motivation always goes in the toilet for that, and THEN I'm going to a writing camp. Oh, and I got a full ride through a new scholarship! I'm super psyched, so even if I don't get much time to work on this fic, my writing skills will improve nonetheless :)
> 
> Just wanted to let y'all (y'all= wonderful, amazing, loving readers, I don't deserve you >_<) know about my schedule, and that I'll be busy but I'll do my best to keep updating semi-weekly! There's still a ways to go in this story, and I don't want to rush it, but I do want to try and finish up before the end of my freakin' senior year, maybe before this coming Christmas if we're lucky!
> 
> Anything you liked? Inconsistencies or spelling missteps you noticed? Please let me know! Oh, and I was also thinking of adding dates and days of the week to all the chapters... I keep an outline of the fic to keep me on track and I have it all filed away, so it wouldn't take too much effort. Anyone interested? It might help clarify any timeskips.
> 
> As always, thanks for the love!! <3 <3


	32. Thursday, January 25th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Yuri have a run-in at the rink, and Viktor may or may not finally work up the courage to ask Yuuri on a date.
> 
> (Note: Yuri's name has been changed to "Yuri" instead of "Yurio" outside of dialogue. I realize I slipped up in earlier chapters doing that, so his name has been changed in all those instances.)

Mr. Vigil watched, arms folded, as Yuuri fell flat on his butt for the third time in the past minute.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri repeated, picking himself up off the ground.

“Would it help if we went up top? Out in the elements?” his teacher suggested.

“No.” Yuuri pressed the heels of his hands to his throbbing temples. “Sorry. I’m just tired. I’m fine.”

His instructor sighed. “You’ve been very diligent in our extended sessions.” He checked the clock. “It’s half past four. Why don’t we finish for today?”

“But it’s been weeks-”

Before he could finish, Mr. Vigil cut him off. “Take a quick rest before your weekly. You look like you need it.”

As it turned out, Mr. Vigil had a point. Even though it was barely a quarter to five when Yuuri reached his room, when he flopped down on his bed to rest his eyes, he fell straight to sleep.

 

When Yuuri opened his eyes, he was half-blinded by the light of his pager. He groaned and pawed it away, but it kept buzzing until he picked it up and squinted at the new notifications; most of them were from Viktor. The first was dated at 7:30 PM.

_ Yuuri, you missed dinner!! WHere are you?? Yakov said he got something from a teacher so he wasn’t mad that youu missed the wkeely but I had to doa lot edxtra _

The second was dated at 7:33.  _ Sorry, I didn’t mean to send that! :( Yurio was trying to steal my pager and delete some pictures. I won’t break into your room because I’m sure you’re sleeping so I’ll see you tomorrow <3 _

The third was dated at 7:49.  _ (The bracelet keeps vibrating, by the way. Could you maybe stop touching it? It really tickles…) _

Several other messages had arrived at around 8:30, from Phichit, Yuuko, and Minami, respectively:

_ U slacker, Yurio keeps bitchin about wanting 2 play 2nd life or something but ur asleep. (what even is 2nd life is it a drinking game?? D:) _

_ Are you okay?? Mr. Vigil passed me in the hall and told me to let you sleep. Are you taking extra classes or something? _

Minami’s message was all emojis and might as well have been written in Japanese, which was still a mystery to Yuuri even after several classes. (Some of the reason it was indecipherable might have been because Yuuri had knocked his glasses off in his sleep.)

Glancing at the clock, Yuuri saw it was close to midnight, and to his dismay, he wasn’t the least bit tired. After tossing and turning for a few minutes, he kicked off his sheets. After changing out of his PJs and retrieving his gym bag and glasses, he went out into the hall.

In the hall, he paused outside of Viktor’s room, debating with himself. He’d taken Viktor on late-night trips to the rink plenty of times, but tonight, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to knock. He headed to the Core, which was silent and lit with dim light. His footsteps echoed off the walls as he took the stairs towards the Sphaer-up.

The Southern Wing, too, was deserted; looping halls of classrooms led down to the Center, with the Terra and Ignis dorms located off of it. Yuuri walked at a brisk pace, lost in thought, and slipped through the entrance to the rink distracted. He was shocked to find that the lights were already up, and someone was already on the ice.

Yuri was skating quick figure-eights in the center of the rink, arms limp at his sides. He was wearing a black leotard that extended to his wrists but left his legs almost completely bare. Yuuri was about to turn and leave when Yuri spotted him.

“What are you doing here?” There was an unexpected note of panic in Yuri’s voice. He skated up to the gate, stopping behind the barrier and leaning his elbows and upper body across it. He looked winded and nervous.

“Same thing as you, I think,” Yuuri said. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Huh.” Yuri’s knuckles went white on the rail. “Well, I’m leaving. Move for a minute, will you?”

“What?”

“Let me by.”

Yuuri’s eyebrows furrowed. “You can go by me whenever you want…?”

Yuri glared at him. “You’re an asshole,” he said, and stepped off the ice.

He kept glaring as Yuuri’s eyes widened in shock. The leotard was hitched up to the tops of his thighs, and crisscrossing the pale skin were spiderwebs of raised, red scars. They reached up and down his legs, never passing below his knees.

Yuuri tore his eyes away. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, well. Now you know.” Yuri’s face was pink, and he brushed past Yuuri and bent over the water fountain. Wordlessly, Yuuri set down his gym bag and took out his rented skates, taking to the ice without comment. Yuri joined him a minute later with his hair tied back.

“You’re not gonna ask?” Yuri said, voice loud in the large room.

“I’m sure you don’t want to talk about it,” Yuuri replied. He focused on his balance, listening to the  _ hush-hush _ of his and Yuri’s skates across the ice.

Yuri laughed, a hollow sound. “Might as well. Only you, Beka, and Yakov’ve seen them.” He paused. “And the nurse, I guess.”

They skated slow circles, hugging the walls. Yuuri kept quiet, watching Yuri’s face, and let him talk.

“It’s not really a big deal or anything,” Yuri said, though it was. “They look worse than they are. Beka says they look badass, but he was probably just being nice.”

“They  _ do _ look badass,” Yuuri said.

Yuri granted him a half-smile.

“I started doing it when I was about nine,” he continued, and Yuuri struggled to keep his face level. Yuri studied him for a minute before continuing. “When I started really coming into my powers and stuff.” He huffed. “Scared the shit out of my parents the first time I lit something on fire. They’re both Terra, never said anything about my grandpa being an Ignis.

“Burned my entire fucking house down with my first outburst.” His voice was flat, almost without intonation, taking on an almost imperceptible tremble near the end. “Killed my cat. Dad got so much lung damage he’s on a machine to keep him breathing.”

“I…”

Yuuri turned to look when Yuri hesitated, but Yuri kept his stony gaze directed forward.

“I burned my legs. To keep control. It hurt, but… it helped.”

Some of the markings  _ had _ looked like they could have been made by fingers-

“Don’t give me that look, moron, I stopped about a year ago.”

“Does the nurse know?”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Of course she fucking does. Chill out, I know better now. Yakov would bitch my ear off otherwise.”

“Is it…” Yuuri swallowed. “When you have higher power levels, does it… make you more likely to, uhm.” His face burned with a mixture of embarrassment and shame. “You know. Hurt yourself.”

“Well, yeah,” Yuri said, “no duh. The nurse spouted a bunch of crap about it, but that’s basically it. It’s a shitty way to cope, but the stronger your Magic…” He shifted his body, twirling and skating backwards to look at Yuuri. “Something about hormones or whatever.”

“It’s not important.” Yuuri wobbled, righting himself before continuing. “Anyways, um, thanks for, I guess, telling me-”

“It’s not like I had much of a choice-”

“You could’ve told me to fuck off,” Yuuri pointed out.

“Yeah, well, whatever.” Yuri scowled at him again. “Shut up and skate. That’s what you came here for, right?”

They spent the next several hours showing off — well, it was Yuri doing most of the showing off. Yuuri tried to learn to land a double axel, but even with the unsteady push of his Magic, he couldn’t manage more than a singe, and even then he would sometimes fall. Yuri was more than happy to showcase his triple lutz and triple Salchow, even launching into a quadruple toe loop at one point. (Whatever smug comment he was going to make afterwards was cut off by Yuuri mentioning his hair was on fire.)

By the time either of them thought to check the clock, it was an hour shy of breakfast.

“Shit.” Yuri swung his legs over the barrier, already starting to unlace his skates. 

“I guess that’s one way to put it,” said Yuuri, stepping onto the wooden planks leading to the lockers. “Why’re you in such a hurry?”

“I told Beka I’d meditate with him,” Yuri muttered, ducking in and out of the locker room in a matter of seconds. 

He paused at the exit to the Center. “See ya” was all he said, letting the doors swing shut behind him.

“Yeah,” Yuuri said to the empty room. Fast as he was able, he pulled on his sneakers and took out his pager, rearranging his schedule in his head. (If he was lucky, he’d have time for a shower before breakfast. He was sure Viktor wouldn’t mind if he was a little late.)

 

 

 

_ Two weeks (and one day) later _

 

Someone’s arm snaked around Yuuri’s shoulders, and Viktor nudged his side. “Yuuri! Where were you at lunch?”

“I went back to my room and fell asleep,” Yuuri admitted. “It’s been busy…”

Viktor winced. “Did Minako get mad?”

“A little,” Yuuri said. “She seemed happier when I showed her I’d been doing my routines in my free time.”

“Wow! You’re very studious.” Viktor’s tone was teasing.

“Not really,” Yuuri said, blushing. “I mean, for regular class I always do my homework, but studying…”

“That’s where I come in!” Viktor patted the top of Yuuri’s opposite shoulder. “I’m great at studying, but I  _ never _ do homework.”

“Now I know why your History grade is so low,” Mickey said, falling into step next to Yuuri. Sara appeared on Viktor’s other side, eyes glued to her pager.

“I hear you two finally got together,” she said, not even looking up from her texting.

“You’re a bit behind the times,” Viktor said. “That was a couple weeks ago!”

By some miracle, Yuuri was able to hold his corporeal form. 

“Phichit’s been compiling a list of fanfic for you to read,” she added.

“I think Phichit’s made it his job to embarrass Yuuri as much as possible,” Viktor remarked.

“Um,  _ yeah,” _ came a familiar voice, and Phichit jumped into the space between Yuuri and Viktor, pushing them a few inches apart and slinging an arm around each of their shoulders. “You guys gossiping about me?”

“I was telling them about your compilation,” Sara said.

Phichit grinned. “You’ll love it, guys. I’ll mail it to you this afternoon.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Viktor-!”

“Sorry I can’t stay longer, but I promised Georgi we’d get in some practice before tomorrow’s sparring match.” Phichit released his captives and strode ahead of them, walking backwards. “You two gonna come?”

“Probably not,” Yuuri said. “I’d like to wait a while longer.”

“Maybe another time,” Viktor said.

“See you guys at dinner!” Phichit jogged off.

“Where are you two headed?” Yuuri asked Mickey.

“The library,” Sara said.  _ “Someone _ forgot to finish their research paper.”

“Hey, you forgot, too,” Mickey countered.

Viktor looked down at Yuuri. “I have to meditate during lunch, Yuuri, but I’ll see you for partnerwork,  _ da?” _

_ “Hai,” _ Yuuri replied.

“Hi…?”

“Oh, no, it’s “yes” in Japanese.” Yuuri made a face. “I’ve only been able to do two classes a week, so I can only remember a few words-”

“Yuuri! That’s amazing! Soon we’ll be able to carry whole  _ conversations _ in our native languages.”

“I don’t know if I’d go  _ that _ far-”

Viktor cut him off, and his voice was breathy and quick. “After our weekly, would you liketocometothelibrarywithme?”

“Um… could you repeat that?”

“I know a place we could have dinner,” Viktor said, lowering his voice. “There’s a hidden room in the library, I use it sometimes when I meditate, but I thought, uh, maybe if you wanted to have, have dinner with me or something, it’d be a good place.”

_ Is he asking me on a date?  _ Yuuri looked up at Viktor’s hopeful, terrified expression.  _ Wow, he’s asking me on a date! _

“Sounds like fun,” Yuuri said, trying to keep his voice casual. “Want me to bring anything?”

Viktor’s face lit up. “Nope, I’ve got it all under control! Just bring you and your beautiful smile.” His arm slid off Yuuri’s shoulders and landed on his waist, and as Viktor’s thumb brushed the hem of his shirt, Yuuri lost his grip on coherent thought. Even as he headed to his next class, his head was in the clouds.

 

Despite the fact that Viktor had told him not to bring anything, Yuuri had a tin of rice and two pairs of chopsticks tucked in the bottom of his backpack. When he tried the door to the library, it was locked, so he loitered at the entrance, trying not to look nervous. 

He’d been on the phone with Phichit for half an hour trying to find the perfect thing to wear, and he’d been freaking out to the point where Phichit had to say “he’s going to like you no matter what you wear, now choose something or you’re going to be late.” Yuuri was starting to regret wearing only a t-shirt; it was cold in the halls.

Yuuri pulled out his pager and stared at the lockscreen in a halfhearted attempt to seem casual. He jumped when a hand touched his arm.

“Why are you looking at a blank screen?” 

“Oh, I must have, uhm, spaced out or something.” Yuuri noticed that Viktor had changed his shirt, and was carrying a picnic basket in his right hand.

“Are you ready?” Viktor asked.

“How are we even going to get in? The door’s locked.”

Viktor reached into his back pocket and pulled out a key. He grinned. “I swiped Yakov’s copy and got an imprint, then got Otabek to melt down a bunch of staples.”

“So Mrs. Baranovskaya doesn’t know we’re-”

“Shh,” Viktor said, putting a finger to Yuuri’s mouth. “It’s fine. I do it all the time.”

“If you’re sure,” Yuuri said, pulling back a bit and looking away, sucking on his lower lip.

Door unlocked, Viktor held it open and let Yuuri enter. It was dark, almost too dark to see, but when Viktor closed the door behind them, he raised a glowing hand and illuminated their surroundings with blue light.

“How do you do that?”

“It’s easy, really,” said Viktor. “You don’t have to do anything special. Just focus your Magic into the area around your hand, like when you’re moving your element, but keep it close to your body instead of pushing it away.”

A few flickers later, Yuuri was able to keep his hand alight, though his Magic was more silver than blue. It flickered as his concentration levels rose and fell, but he felt proud of himself nonetheless.

“Great job, Yuuri!” Viktor clasped Yuuri’s hand. “Follow me.”

The library looked eerie at night, and the glow of their Magics cast shadows across Viktor’s face that gave him an inhuman look. Yuuri decided to keep his eyes on the carpet and let Viktor lead him on.

Viktor stopped in front of a bookshelf and released Yuuri’s hand, rifling through the titles. “It’s here,” he said, and his arm reached past the books, burying him to the shoulder. A click sounded, and the shelf swung inward to reveal a small room, half-lit by moonlight. The minute they stepped inside and were out of the way, the shelf moved back to its original position.

“How did you even find this place, anyway?”

“I didn’t, actually,” Viktor said. “The shelf number was written on a bookmark in one of my Russian textbooks.”

“Weird,” said Yuuri, “but cool,” he hastily tacked on at the end, seeing the pout on Viktor’s face.

A switch was flipped on, and the room filled with golden light. Small windows let slivers of the moon peek through, but most of the walls were bare. The floor had several blankets laid down, one of which Viktor sat down on and began unpacking the basket in his hands.

“I brought rice,” Yuuri said, unzipping his backpack. “I made it in class yesterday.”

“Oh, well, if  _ you _ made it then I’ll forgive you for bringing something even thought I told you not to.” There was a definite note of teasing in Viktor’s voice.

Most of their chatter was empty as they ate. Viktor had brought plastic-wrapped hamburgers and french fries he’d “borrowed” from Madeline, and Yuuri was happy letting Viktor eat most of his fries. For dessert, Yuuri’s rice was doused in heavy cream and coconut and eaten out of cups.

“Why did you even think to bring coconut?” Yuuri asked, tilting his cup to get a better angle at his last grains of rice.

“Okay, it wasn’t actually- Uh. It was ice cream, but I, uh, accidentally maybe might have let it melt…”

“So you pretended you were psychic and put some rice in it?” 

“I  _ am _ psychic!”

“You’re a quack,” Yuuri said, unable to hold back a burst of laughter. Viktor joined in after a matter of seconds.

After a few minutes of wrestling with the chopsticks, Viktor gave up and drank the mixture straight from the cup. Yuuri laughed and held out for a while, but followed suit once he realized that his rudimentary skill in using chopsticks wouldn’t suffice in that case.

Flopping back on the blanket, Yuuri rubbed his full stomach. “Uff, I’m full. I’m gonna have to double my running time for the next  _ week _ to work that off.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, unlike  _ some _ people, I gain five pounds each cheat meal,” Yuuri said.

“Aw, I don’t think that’s true.” Viktor stood up and stretched, then started packing their leftovers back into the basket. “Are you up for another adventure, or are you too tired?”

“I’m always up for another adventure,” Yuuri said, getting to his feet. “Lead the way.”

They ended up in the central room of the library, near the entrance and the stairs leading down to the tables. The globe was surrounded by a multicolored aura of light.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“You’ll see.” Viktor pulled him over to the nearest wall and moved Yuuri’s hand to it. Yuuri’s hand brushed over something.

“It’s a ladder,” Viktor said. “Pull on it.”

Using the tips of his fingers, Yuuri pulled on the bump, and sure enough, it pulled out from the wall as a rung on a ladder. Above and below it, more rungs extended on their own, one bumping into Yuuri’s shin.

“It’ll be dark,” Viktor said, “but just stay where you are, I’ll be right behind you.”

Swallowing back a nervous sound, Yuuri climbed the ladder, and as Viktor had said, it was pitch-black. He scuffed his sneaker, and the sound echoed far away from him. Viktor joined him, and the ground shuddered.

Yuuri yelped, grabbing fistfuls of Viktor’s shirt. His stomach swooped as they began to rise.

“Don’t worry,” Viktor said. “Stay close to me, though, the platform’s small.”

A glance down showed more darkness. Cool wind whipped past them.

“Where  _ are _ we?”

“You’ll see,” Viktor said.

They continued rising for several minutes, giving Yuuri enough time to get his bearings and slow his heart rate. 

“Are you ready?”

“Ready for what-?”

Viktor’s fingers glowed blue over some sort of control panel, and as he watched, Viktor pressed a series of buttons, and the darkness overhead parted, revealing a sky full of stars.

“Wow…” Yuuri turned a complete circle, shuffling to stay on the platform, to take in the view. They were standing in the center of some sort of massive sphere, and all around them, above and below, constellations shimmered in the sky. The moon hung overhead.

“Wh-” Yuuri found himself at a loss for words. “This is-”

“It’s the observatory,” Viktor said, hands settling on Yuuri’s waist. “There’s a platform for classes with a different entrance, but we get the best view this way.”

“So it’s just a projection?” Yuuri felt a pang of disappointment.

“Yeah. It’s what the sky would look like without anything in the way,” Viktor said. “We’re on the top of the Wing, but the projection blocks out the Summit and things.”

“How is it all around, then?” Yuuri looked down again. “Is it mirrored down there?”

“Yep.”

Another gust of wind blew past them, and Yuuri took a deep breath. He turned back towards Viktor, putting his hands to the fronts of his shoulders. Looking up, he saw Viktor staring out, eyes shining and reflecting the starlight.

“I’ve never taken anyone else up here,” Viktor said, eyes unmoving on a bright star. “Chris told me about it, and I’ve come up alone, but…”

He paused. “It’s lonely up here, alone.”

Yuuri reached down and put his hand over Viktor’s, pressing it tighter to his hip. Their bracelets brushed, pulsing light.

“You’re not alone anymore,” he said.

Viktor’s lips parted. Yuuri’s eyes darted between his eyes, sparkling and sparking, and his lips, half in shadow-

They were close, moved closer, then closest.

“Yuuri.” Viktor’s hands were heavy. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri breathed. 

For a second, time seemed to freeze, leaping forward when their lips touched at last.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, RIGHT??!???! (I'm talking about the kiss as well as my update time. I always feel like there's too long between updates, but I only have so much time in the day XD)
> 
> Anyways, I've briefed y'all on what's going down in the next month or so, and I'm hoping to bring my laptop with me to my leadership thing next week, otherwise... well, I won't get much writing done, except by hand. (My handwriting is atrocious.) Anyways, I'm already a few paragraphs into the next chap, so I've got a start, at least!!
> 
> Still debating putting dates in the chapter titles. I might just do it anyways, even if nobody expresses much interest. We've got our first real live timeskip in this chap, though! (First significant one, at least.) So yay!
> 
> (Congrats if you got this far, I'm totally rambling.) My sister has been trying to get me into Hamilton since about March or April, and this past week I FINALLY got into it. (She got so annoyed at me. "ABOUT TIME" was her words, I think.) I learned "My Shot" in a couple days because I got sheet music from a teacher, and I'm working on learning Hamilton's parts in a lot of other songs!! I re-enacted his death in "The World Was Wide Enough" alone in the house and it was super intense, and I have been crying for a million years because of "Blow Us All Away" paired with "Stay Alive (Reprise)." Oh, and I'm not ever going to get over "Tomorrow There'll Be More Of Us." I ship Laurens x Hamilton so hard. (It's called Lams? Is that short for Lamilton or something??) I'm pretty much HamilTRASH at this point, it's SO GOOD. Too bad I'm scoffed at societally for wanting to rap, haha 3:
> 
> Huge thanks for all the love, and I'll (hopefully) see you guys in a week or two!!! <3 <3


	33. Monday, February 12th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's Day approaches, and Phichit wants to further his career through his OTP.

Yuuri’s senses were in overdrive: the fabric of Viktor’s jeans rough against his palms, the warmth of Viktor’s hands against his cheeks, the tickle of Viktor’s bangs across his forehead, the blood and Spark rushing through his body-

Viktor pulled back a few centimeters, eyes half-lidded. “Yuuri…”

“Mmnh?”  _ Brain out of order, please try again later. _

“Yuu-”

“Shh,” Yuuri mumbled, pulling Viktor in for another kiss. He wanted to savor the moment as much as he could.

“Yuuri, you’re doing it  _ again.” _

“Yeah, because I  _ want _ to-”

“No, that’s not what I-” Viktor huffed a laugh against Yuuri’s lips. “Nevermind.”

They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, for what felt like the shortest eternity possible. Silvery light fluttered around them, and the stars winked in and out…

 

 

“-so then Yuuri  _ finally _ realizes that he’s accidentally made us  _ levitate, _ and he flips out,” Viktor says to their crowd of friends, gesturing and animated, “and the next thing I know, we’re back in the library, all the lights are on, and Yuuri’s  _ crying-” _

“I thought you were  _ dead!” _ Yuuri shoved Viktor’s shoulder, giving him a dirty look.

“It was just the drop,” Viktor said, putting a consoling hand on the top of Yuuri’s head. “I’m sensitive to pressure changes.”

Yuuko put her elbows on the table, grinning. “You passed out?”

“Only for a few seconds!” Viktor said, like it wasn’t a big deal. 

“Almost thirty,” Yuuri corrected him.

“It’s a good thing Yuuri caught me, it was quite the drop!”

“I’m guessing that killed the mood?” Yuuko said.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Viktor lamented. “It was nice while it lasted.”

Minami was sitting next to Yuuri, and he leaned over to him. “Were you really scared?”

“Yeah,” said Yuuri, staring at his lap. 

Having overheard, Viktor threw his arms around his boyfriend. “Aw,  _ Yuuri!”  _

“I thought you’d have figured that out by the fact I was crying…”

“So, next date,” Phichit said, “I’m guessing you want a professional photographer. Since you’re my friends, I can give you a twenty percent discount-”

“No pictures,” Yuuri said.

“You drive a hard bargain. Fifty percent?”

“No-”

“Fine, fine! I’ll do it for free!”

“Deal,” Viktor said.

_ “Viktor!” _

 

“I completely forgot about Valentine’s Day,” Yuuri admitted to Minako as he pulled his textbook from his bag. “I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

“For Viktor?” Minako looked up from a magazine, adjusting the sunglasses perched on the top of her head. “Well, the Japanese custom was a woman to give chocolate to her man, but since you’re both guys…”

Yuuri flipped open his notebook. “Can you teach me more phrases today?”

“Like what? ‘I love you,’ maybe?”

“I mean, maybe, if you know how-”

Minako grinned. “I can teach you how to talk dirty in Japanese,” she said, and Yuuri’s face burned at her teasing tone.

“No, thanks!” 

“Fine,” she said, setting the magazine on his desk. “I’ll let you learn yourself. Now, we were covering locations, so let’s get back to that-”

Yuuri pretended not to see the magazine for the entire class, but slipped it into his backpack as the lesson wrapped up. Minako smirked at him as he fled the classroom.   


 

“So, the big day’s coming up,” Phichit said, throwing himself into the seat next to his friend. “Do you and Viktor have plans yet?”

“N-” Yuuri coughed, wincing as his throat stung.

“Wrong pipe?” Phichit asked.

“Mm, yeah, probably.” Yuuri cleared his throat and tried again. “No, not yet. Why?”

“I did say I’d be your cameraman,” Phichit said. 

“No. No way.”

“Fine, I’ll just have to resort to… subtler methods.”

“You wouldn’t  _ dare.” _

“Try me,” Phichit offered.

Leo and Guang-Hong approached their table. 

“Hi, guys,” Guang-hong said, squinting as his pager. “Phichit, what’s with this update?”

Yuuri’s pager vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out and saw Phichit had posted a picture of him and Viktor bent over a novel. Yuuri was mid-sentence, pointing at the something on page, but Viktor’s eyes were fixed on Yuuri. The look in his eyes…

Overcome with emotion, Yuuri buried his face in his hands.

“Sorry, Yuuri,” said Phichit, “it was too cute to pass up. I put it in my queue.”

“Phichit’s your photographer?” Leo asked.

“At this point, it doesn’t matter if I say no,” Yuuri said, “because we’re gonna be stalked either way.”

“Pretty much,” Phichit said. “Speaking of, has Viktor asked you yet?”

“Asked me what?”

“On a Valentine’s date, dumbass,” came the voice of Yuri, who slumped onto the bench on Yuuri’s other side. “He’s been gushing about it to everyone.”

“He hasn’t asked me yet, though.”

“Well, remind him. It’s fucking annoying.”

Otabek looked up from his novel and spoke, startling Yuri. “Did you hear they’re going to open the Summit for a rotating groupwork exercise?”

“Wow, really?” Phichit was on his pager in a second. “I didn’t hear that!”

“Ms. Akhtar told me yesterday,” Otabek said. 

“When’s it scheduled for?” Yuuko asked.

“Next month sometime.”

_ “Boring.” _

“Yura-”

“Don’t ‘Yura’ me, Beka,” Yuri grumbled. “I don’t wanna wait that long to kick Viktor’s ass.”

Viktor sauntered up to Yuuri, draping himself over Yuuri’s shoulders. “Who’s talking about my ass?”

“Oh, shut up,” Yuri said, flushing a dark pink.

“My ass is private property,” Viktor said. 

“Your ass is his now,” Phichit said, stifling a grin and gesturing in Yuuri’s direction.

_ “Phichit-” _

“Exactly!” Viktor kissed Yuuri’s ear. Yuuri found his face scrunching up, either from embarrassment or from how it tickled.

“You’re  _ all _ asses,” announced Yuri, tossing his hair over his shoulder and getting up from the table. “And gross. We’re leaving.”

He left the cafeteria with Otabek in tow.

“But dinner hasn’t even started yet,” Minami said.

“He’ll be back,” Viktor said, taking Yuri’s seat. “He has the appetite of a tiger.”

Dinner passed without event, and Viktor pulled Yuuri aside as everyone was heading back to their rooms.

“If this is about Valentine’s Day, yes,” Yuuri blurted, clapping his hand over his mouth in mortification immediately after.

Viktor’s grin was infectious. “I was thinking we could do a bit of sparring at the Sump, and then go to the Mini afterwards. Does that sound okay?”

_ But my control- _

Yuuri quashed his internal doubts and smiled. “Sounds good.”

“How about… 7:30, Wednesday night?”

“Okay.”

“Okay…”

They stared at each other for a prolonged moment.

Madeline poked her head out from behind the nearest cart. “Are you two gonna stan’ there all night, or what?”

Yuuri scurried away, Viktor hot on his heels, leaving Madeline chuckling after them.

 

 

“Good, Yuuri, very good,” Mr. Vigil said. “Can you come down?”

Screwing his eyes shut, Yuuri relaxed his shaky hold on his Magic, floating down to the floor.

Mr. Vigil clapped, smiling. “I’m impressed. With your Magic level being so high, I expected you to have much more difficulty with levitation.”

“It’s been over a month,” Yuuri pointed out. 

“For some, it takes many months,” said his instructor. “We’ll need to work on this in class, to be sure, but you’ve got a handle on it now. Good work.”

“Thanks…”

“I’ll let the Headmaster know,” Mr. Vigil said absently, adjusting the collar of his shirt. “He’s been very interested in your progress.”

“Where  _ is _ the Headmaster?” Yuuri asked. “I used to see him around the school, but for the past couple months-”

Mr. Vigil’s smile tightened. “It’s nothing to worry about.” He checked the clock. “You should get to your weekly.”

“Ah, right-” Yuuri hurried for the door, calling over his shoulder to his teacher. “Thank you for helping me, Mr. Vigil!”

The response was faint, but Yuuri caught it as he rushed down the hall: “Of course.”

He met Viktor halfway to the Sphaer-up, and they ran to the Center to meet Yakov. (They ended up being a few minutes late because Yuuri had fallen into a coughing fit halfway down the Ramp. Viktor was worried, but Yuuri brushed it off.) The previous night had brought two fresh feet of snow, which they spent the entire hour clearing between the outdoor classrooms. By dinnertime, they were both dragging.

“Are you sure you want to spar tonight?” Yuuri said as they flopped onto the benches at their table. “We can put it off until tomorrow.”

“No way!” Viktor futzed with his snow-soaked bangs, combing them into place. “It’s Valentine’s Day. I can’t let down my Valentine.”

“Your very  _ tired _ Valentine,” Yuuri added.

“We’ll take it easy,” Viktor said. “Nothing serious or tricky. Just fun stuff. Like levitating!”

Yuuri pressed his lips together, corners turning up, and turned his head away to hide his expression from Viktor, who took the gesture as a personal challenge and had practically climbed on top of Yuuri’s lap by the time the rest of their friend group arrived.

“Hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Alexandre said.

Chris fanned himself with one hand, grinning wickedly. “Ooh, can I watch?”

“Cut it out, you’re all disgusting,” Yuri said. “I came here for fry night, I don’t want to barf it all up because of your gross PDA.”

“Gross PDA?” Phichit whipped out his camera and took several pictures from behind Viktor’s head. “I think you mean ‘loving touches,’ Yurio.”

Yuri made a gagging noise (“What are you, a fucking health teacher?”) and headed for the food carts.

 

The Sump was deserted when Yuuri and Viktor arrived, which turned out to be a good thing, as Yuuri ended up firing a compressed bolt of air as a test, almost demolishing the side of a nearby device.

“You almost killed the carousel,” Viktor said.

“Carousel?”

Viktor showed him how to spin the carousel, and they whizzed in circles, shrieking like children. (“They have these on playgrounds,” Yuuri said, “but you just push them.” Viktor had laughed at that. “Boring!”)

The Mini was deserted when they stumbled in, besides an amused-looking barista. She brewed them both decaf cappuccinos and left them alone with their giggling.

“Here.” Yuuri took a red-ribboned box from his bookbag and slid it across the table. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Aww, Yuuri!” Viktor popped off the top and picked up a truffle. “Did you make these?”

“It was mostly Madeline-”

“I have something for you, too!” Viktor’s voice was pitched a bit high, and he pulled a much smaller box from his pocket. “Happy V-” He cut himself off. His face was red, and he spoke through his fingers. 

Yuuri opened the box and blinked at its contents.

“...Rings?”

Viktor’s smile looked breakable. “Do you like them?”

The pair of rings glinted in the fluorescent lights. Yuuri drew out the first and examined it. “How do you know my ring size?” was the only question that came to mind.

“I, uh, asked your mother.”

“Oh, god.” Yuuri cringed. “She probably thinks you’re going to propose to me after only knowing me for a couple months.”

Viktor smiled. “Oh, no, these aren’t engagement rings,” he said, taking his own ring from the box. “They’re promise rings.”

“What’s a promise ring?”

“Aw, Earthens don’t have them? Here, watch me,” he said, taking Yuuri’s hand and slipping the ring onto his pinky. “Wait, no…” He moved it over one finger. “There. Now, you do me.”

Yuuri was reaching out for Viktor’s hand when he paused.

“I wonder why it’s so quiet,” he said in a low voice.

“Mm… it’s almost  _ too _ quiet.”

The two of them turned in their chairs to see a mob of students standing outside the Mini, pagers pressed to the windows, silent as mice. As Yuuri and Viktor gaped at them, camera lights flashed, and they broke into muffled cheers.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead!!! I'm so sorry it's been so long since an update, but I can't promise another anytime soon. My leadership camp ends today, and early tomorrow I'm leaving to head down to Philly to go a party of my mom's friend... then I see my dad... etc. 
> 
> Anyways, I don't think I mentioned this, but I set up a group number to perform in the talent show!! I was ridiculously, absurdly nervous for it, whenever I thought about it I'd get a surge of adrenaline. It was wild. We did "Aaron Burr, Sir" transitioning directly into "My Shot." I was Hamilton, and the only one to use a mic because nobody else wanted to be too loud. I do have a video, one that's half-finished because the phone died, and one that's full but low-qual. I doubt I'll be able to upload either but if I do, y'all will be the first to know.
> 
> Also, somebody contacted me on Tumblr and told me that they're translating my fic into Russian!! I'm so hyped. Here's the link: https://ficbook.net/readfic/5644803 I can't speak Russian at all, let alone read Cyrillic, and Google Translate is actually Satan, so I can't read it, but if anyone can read Russian, I'd love to hear how the translation is!
> 
> Love you all, and thank you for sticking with me despite my horrible update sched. The end is nigh, and I have alluded to the contents of next chapter in his chapter once or twice... You can guess, but I pretty much guarantee that you won't guess it ;>


	34. Thursday, February 15th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's symptoms are explained.

“‘Subtler methods,’ my ass,” Yuuri said, smacking Phichit in the shoulder with a napkin.

“You bailed on me,” Phichit said, “and besides, it wasn’t even me who told everyone where you guys were. It was Fio.”

Viktor snatched a bite of Yuuri’s sorbet. “Who’s Fio?”

“She’s the night shift waitress at the Mini.” Phichit covered his mouth. “Wait, don’t tell her I told you! She’ll kill me!”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri said. “I do sort of wish everyone would chill out, though-”

“You guys are big news!” Minami said.

“That’s true,” Viktor said.

Phichit tapped Yuuri’s arm, and Yuuri looked over at him.

“If you want, I can tell everyone to back off,” Phichit said softly. “Nobody wants to make you uncomfortable.”

Yuuri cracked a smile. “I doubt that would work, but thanks.”

“I could _make_ it work,” Phichit insisted.

“It’s okay. Really. It’s just kinda embarrassing sometimes.”

“Okay, if you’re sure!” Phichit stood, snatched Viktor’s brownie off his plate, and bolted for the ladders. Viktor leapt to his feet.

“Phichit!” he shrieked, “Yuuri made those, and there aren’t any more left!”

“Whoops!”

The whole cafeteria looked on as Phichit led Viktor on a wild goose chase through the tables. Phichit caught Yuuri’s eye and grinned, and Yuuri couldn’t help but join in laughing with the rest of his table.

(“Idiots, all of them-”

“Yura-

“Don’t ‘ _Yura’_ me-”)

 

Dawn broke, bringing a splitting headache along with it. Yuuri laid on his back for a few minutes, eyes squeezed shut, trying to summon the motivation to get up. He wondered if his most recent (and particularly unproductive) session with Mr. Vigil had something to do with it.

As he dragged himself over to his closet, his pager went off. He saw it was from Viktor, a rare treat, and accepted the call.

“Good morning, Yuuri!” Viktor’s voice was music to his ears. “I hope I didn’t wake you, but I wanted to ask if you wanted to meet up top and meditate with me.”

Smiling, Yuuri opened his mouth to reply… but nothing happened.

He tried again. Despite all his efforts, he couldn’t make a sound. His throat felt tight.

“Yuuri?” There was shuffling on the other end as Yuuri started to panic. “Is the connection bad or-”

Hands shaking, Yuuri ended the call and opened up his messenger app.

 _Viktor,_ he typed, firing off fragments of sentences as soon as he typed them, _I can’t speak. I can’t make any noise. What’s wrong with me? I don’t think I’m sick._

A reply arrived in the middle of his next message. _Yuuri, take a breath. You’re okay._

Yuuri obliged, sucking in a deep breath and trying to stop hyperventilating.

 _Meet me outside_ was Viktor’s next message. _I’ll take you to the nurse._

As promised, Viktor was waiting outside Yuuri’s room when he opened the door. Viktor smiled at him.

Again Yuuri tried to speak, but all he could manage was a weak cough.

Viktor looked calm, but his voice was concerned. “Are you sick?”

Yuuri shook his head.

“Walk with me?” Viktor offered Yuuri his arm.

After a moment’s pause, Yuuri linked his arm with Viktor’s.

“Everyone’s still sleeping,” Viktor said, “don’t worry.”

Viktor fell silent, seemingly lost in thought, as they headed to the Southern Wing, making sure to smile at Yuuri whenever he looked over. The nurse had an irritated look on her face, and the dark circles under her eyes spoke for themselves about how much sleep she’d gotten.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“He can’t speak,” Viktor said, gesturing towards Yuuri.

To Yuuri’s shock, the nurse’s face split into a wide smile.

“Mr. Nikiforov,” she said, “you never did pay much attention in health class, did you?”

“Uh…” Viktor made a face. “No?”

“You’ve scared my charge half to death,” she said, taking Yuuri by the other arm and pulling him forward. “Come in, Mr. Katsuki, we have much to discuss.”

Viktor hesitated, about to follow, but the nurse stopped him in his tracks.

“Do me a favor, Mr. Nikiforov,” she said, “get out your pager and search ‘symptoms of the Shift.’ That should put you on the right track.”

She closed the door in his face, and laughed at the look on Yuuri’s face. “He’s a bright boy, really, but never pays me a bit of attention. We’ll see to him later.

“Sit,” she said, “and don’t look so scared. Nothing’s wrong with you, nothing at all.”

Yuuri sat. His hands trembled in his lap.

“What you’re experiencing is the beginning of a perfectly normal stage of life,” the nurse said, rifling through a drawer of files, “as perfectly normal as a girl’s first menstrual cycle. We call it the Shift.”

 _The what?_ he tried to say.

“It’s a critical part of coming into your Magic,” she explained. “It happens to most between the age of twelve and fifteen, but since your first outburst came so late in life, I was beginning to wonder…”

She cut herself off, pulling a sheaf of paper from the drawer. “Losing your voice is the most prominent symptom of the first stage,” she said, “but it will return within the next forty-eight hours. Other symptoms will manifest as well, you can read about them,” she pushed the papers into his hands, “here.”

Seeing the blank look on Yuuri’s face, she bent over him and put a hand to his forehead. “No fever. Would you like me to excuse you from classes today?”

Yuuri shook his head.

“Are you sure? Your-”

 _I don’t want special treatment,_ he mouthed, trying to emphasize the syllables.

“It’s not special treatment,” she snapped, “it’s common sense.” She herded him towards the door. “Go to your room and rest. Keep your pager nearby. If you start feeling sick or dizzy, contact me immediately.”

Though he had several more questions, Yuuri was ushered out, and before he could think to try and ask them, he was out in the hallway. Two teens slipped past him into the nurse’s, avoiding eye contact.

Viktor was waiting for him near the Sphaer-up, a guilty look on his face.

“I’m so sorry, I’m a total idiot, you were right I’m a total airhead I can’t believe I didn’t remember-”

Yuuri put a hand on Viktor’s shoulder and shook his head, smiling.

“She’s right, I _don’t_ pay attention in health class,” he mourned. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear-”

 _It’s fine,_ Yuuri mouthed.

“Are you okay to go to class?” Viktor grabbed Yuuri’s face and inspected it, oblivious to how red it was turning.

 _Supposed to rest,_ Yuuri replied.

“I’ll stay with you!”

_You can’t!_

“Sure I can!”

_Homework?_

“Pfft, whatever, it’s just a day. But,” he said, with a flair of drama, “I’d skip a whole _year_ for you if I could-”

Yuuri pushed his shoulder, grinning.

 

Phichit and Yuuko had sent almost ten messages apiece by the time Yuuri woke up from his nap. Viktor was still fast asleep, crushing his legs, but Yuuri was able to reach his pager.

 _I’m fine,_ he assured them. _I lost my voice. The nurse said I’m having my Shift. Tell everyone not to worry._

 _Omg I remember my Shift_ was Phichit’s snappy reply. _It’s not fun haha, but the payoff is worth it~_

Payoff?

Yuuri picked up the pamphlet the nurse gave him and flipped it open.

Most of the content was reassuringly clinical. From what Yuuri could tell, the Shift is a phase of Magical puberty where your Magic becomes unstable and you experience many signs of puberty all at once.

He grimaced as he read the list of signs; it covered an entire page. _Vocal changes, including deepening of voice and repeated cracking of voice; growth spurt(s), at times painful; rapid mood swings; low-self-esteem and depression; increased sex drive-_

Yuuri’s mind jumped to Minako’s magazine, which was shoved somewhere deep in his suitcase, and he flushed.

A few minutes later, Viktor stirred. Yuuri, who had been watching his face for some time, quickly looked away.

“Nnh…” Viktor rolled over to the very edge of the mattress. “Wh’ timezit-”

When Yuuri showed Viktor his watch, Viktor groaned.

“Sorry,” he said, scrambling off Yuuri’s legs and sliding off the bed. “Guess I was more tired than I thought-”

Viktor was about to make for the door when he changed his mind, bent down, and kissed Yuuri’s forehead. “D’you want me to get you anything for lunch?”

 _I’m fine_ Yuuri mouthed, smiling.

“I’ll come back as soon as I can,” Viktor promised.

Grabbing a sticky note off the back of his pager, Yuuri scrawled a quick message on the back, flipped the adhesive over, and stuck it to Viktor’s forehead. When Viktor checked his reflection in the door mirror, he saw it read _Bring Homework!_ (Backwards, of course.)

“Pushy, pushy,” Viktor said, grinning, closing the door behind himself.

 

“You received my message?” The nurse held her door open.

“Yeah,” Yuuri said, taking a seat on the edge of the cot. “Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? No.” She pulled a clipboard from under a stack of paperwork. “I wanted to check in about your Shift. Have you been experiencing any symptoms in particular?”

“Um-”

“Fill this out,” she interrupted, handing him a pen and the clipboard. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Yuuri went down the checklist, going more quickly when she sat back down and stared at him. She took the clipboard and her eyes flicked across his shaky checkmarks.

“Your voice came back yesterday, you say?”

“Mm hm, it was only gone for about a day-”

“Mood swings, not too surprising, since you do have anxiety.” She paused. “Sorry. That was insensitive.”

“It’s okay.”

“Your voice has changed,” she noted. “Slightly deeper. To be expected.”

“It did? I didn’t notice-”

“What have you been craving?”

“Carbs, mostly,” he admitted. “I’ve been pretty good about my diet, but these cravings are making it hard.”

“Keep up the good fight,” she said absently, moving down the page. “Ah, sexual urges flaring up?”

Yuuri realized that, at that moment, he would’ve traded his Aere abilities for the power to melt into a puddle and seep through the floorboards.

“Nothing to be ashamed of,” she said. “If you’d like, I have supplements that can help with some of your symptoms. Are they disruptive to you?”

“I mean, a bit-”

“Alright, then,” she said, whipping a brightly-labeled bottle from some hidden drawer in her desk. “This is a basic cure-all for basic symptoms of the Shift. If it doesn’t work for you, come back and I’ll give you more specific medication, but this-” She gestured with the bottle. “-has the least side effects.”

“Thanks,” Yuuri murmured, feeling like he’d just been skirted by a hurricane.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the summary didn't scare anyone!! (Or scare anyone TOO much, anyways.)
> 
> Gotta say, though, I'm sorry today's update is a bit short!! I was planning to post a single, longer chapter, with all of the effects of the Shift and how Yuuri comes out of it (which he will... with a bang... NO, NOT THAT KIND OF BANG, GUYS). Buuut, I know I haven't updated since June, and I feel freaking awful about it, so I decided to put this up anyways!! Barely edited and fresh off the... brain.
> 
> Anyways! I'm off to writing camp in a few days, but hopefully I'll have plenty of time to work on the next chapter or two there. We're getting hella close to the end, y'all!! I've had some great guesses about the climax/big stuff at the end, and they're always welcome (and always incredibly creative)! (Also, comments make my entire day, if you want to say something, I promise to reply!!!!) I hope I can get this story done, and done well, before I start applying to colleges in earnest... :l
> 
> I am, as always, astonished by the view count (and word count!!) of this fic. It's my baby, and I am a bit sad to be putting the frosting on this particular cake, but I also know that it's high time to give you all what you want: the big answers!! Coming up, the climax of HtS... hopefully soon ;-;


	35. Tuesday, February 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February rolls into March, Yuuri's Shift comes to a close, and a storm begins to brew.

“I remember Yurio’s Shift,” Viktor said. “He kept lighting stuff on fire whenever he got angry.” He paused, tapping his chin with one finger. “Which happened a  _ lot-” _

“Oh, shut up,” Yuri snapped. “S’not like  _ yours _ was much better.”

Viktor shrugged, half-smiling. “True-”

“He cried a lot,” Yuri turned around and informed Yuuri, “and he kept freezing stuff. Like Phichit’s grapes.”

“I almost broke a tooth,” Phichit recalled.

Yuuri pursed his lips. “How do you freeze grapes…?” 

“They have water in them?” Viktor grinned. “I remember that now. Then I cried, and my tears froze, and then I cried more. It was awful.”

“Then why are you smiling?” 

Viktor kissed Yuuri’s fingertips. “Time heals all wounds.”

“I destroyed three different textbooks,” Georgi interjected. “They disintegrated in my hands. Mr. Qwu didn’t even believe me.”

Yuuri’s brow furrowed. “Textbooks?”

“Paper is carbon-based,” Yuri said, throwing in a muttered “dumbass” for effect and receiving an elbow in the side from Otabek.

“At least your Magic gets, like, super stable when it’s all over,” Phichit said. 

Yuuri shivered. “Do you really have to, y’know, have an outburst at the end?” 

“Usually, yeah,” said Viktor, pulling Yuuri close to his side. “But don’t worry, Yuuri. The nurse can tell when you’re close to the end of your Shift, and she’ll help you.”

“She’s great,” Yuuko added. “She helps all the students with their Shifts. Don’t sweat it.”

Yuuri smiled at his friends, trying to tamp down the anxiety swirling in his gut.

 

Slipping off his headphones, Yuuri stepped off the elliptical and wiped sweat from his forehead. He squeaked when Phichit jumped up behind him and pinched his side.

“Hey!” he protested.

“You’re so lucky,” Phichit said, taking a drink from his water bottle. “Your Shift is the easiest time to get jacked, if you’re a guy.” 

“Jacked?” Yuuri grinned. 

Phichit pulled a face at him. “You know what I mean.”

“Mila won’t stop complaining about how girls gain weight during theirs,” Phichit added as they headed for the locker rooms.

“That sucks.” Yuuri made a beeline for the sinks and splashed water on his face. 

“You okay?” Phichit hovered behind him.

“M’fine,” Yuuri said. “Just tired.”

“How’s your meditation been going?” Phichit tossed Yuuri another washcloth. “Viktor tells me that you’ve been meditating together.”

“Only once a week,” Yuuri said, making a weak attempt not to blush. “I’m doing fine with it. Yurio’s been skating with me more, too.”

“Ooh, really? I should break out the ol’ skates, then! It’s been a while.”

“You can skate?”

“Yeah,” Phichit said, “pretty much everyone here can. It’s what we do for Phys Ed year one.”

Clammy hands settled over Yuuri’s eyes, and Yuuri jumped.

“Guess who!”

“I don’t even need to guess,” Yuuri said, turning around and placing a soft kiss on Viktor’s cheek. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I  _ was _ going to work out, but-”

“But?”

“I’d rather spend time with you!” Viktor squeezed Yuuri’s shoulder. “It’s not too late to go to the Mini. Yurio said he and Beka’d love to play _ Second Life  _ again sometime.”

“I need to take a shower-”

“Ooh! Can I join?”

Yuuri flushed.  _ “Viktor!” _

Phichit smirked, but mercifully left his pager tucked in his bag. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he said, grabbing his bag and speeding from the locker room.

“He’s probably right outside,” Viktor said.

“Probably.” Yuuri shuffled his feet. “I really do need to shower, you know.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you outside,” Viktor said.

Yuuri turned to get a towel, and Viktor called his name from the doorway.

“Yuuri?”

“Hmm?”

“Russians had a custom,” Viktor blurted, “of using names with people close to them. Mine’s ‘Vitya,’ do you want to, uh, want to…”

A smile overtook Yuuri’s face. “Is that why Otabek calls him ‘Yura,’ and Yurio calls him ‘Beka,’ then?”

Viktor’s face was red. “Yeah…”

“I’ll be out soon,” said Yuuri. “Vitya.”

The redness in Viktor’s cheeks hadn’t gone away when Yuuri emerged from the locker room, hair wet. They linked hands, and Yuuri’s chest flooded with warmth.

  
  


“It’s been over two weeks,” Yuuri moaned, “and  _ nothing _ has happened.”

“Give it some time, Yuuri,” Yuuko said, patting his arm. “Your circumstances are… unique!”

Yuuri reached for his glass of water, knocking it onto his lap when his fingers slipped. “Ugh…”

Viktor plunked himself down next to him and lifted his hands, which glowed blue as he drew the water out of the fabric of Yuuri’s jeans. He deposited the water back in the cup.

“How are you doing?”

“I really wish people would stop asking me that.” Yuuri put his head down on the table.

“We’re just-”

“Worried, I know, Yuuko.” Guilt mixed with frustration, and Yuuri lifted his head, almost hitting his glasses off his face in an attempt to rub his eyes. “I’m fine. I just want to have the stupid outburst and be done with this crap.”

“The waiting is shitty,” Yuri agreed. He took a bite of the waffle in his hand. “Don’t you have class right now?”

Yuuri’s mind flashed to Mr. Vigil’s notification that morning, telling his groupwork class he was starting twenty minutes early.

“Shoot!” He leapt to his feet. “Thanks, Yurio, see you guys later!”

He scaled a ladder, slipping into the classroom mere moments before Mr. Vigil.

“Today we’re going to be working on observation of currents in the air,” Mr. Vigil said once the class quieted down. 

Alexandre raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“How does this work for the other three types?” Alexandre asked. “Is there anything that can be applied in this way for, say, a Terra?”

“Excellent question,” said Mr. Vigil, “and not one with a simple answer. Terra can, with training, see energy flow in organic matter, including trees and plants.”

“Does it work like that with humans?” another classmate called out.

“Bloodsight is something different altogether,” Mr. Vigil said, “and is more for Unda, who can see energy flow in water in the form of currents.”

“What about Ignis?” Chris asked.

“They can see temperature differences in flame,” Mr. Vigil said, visibly trying to hold back his annoyance, “and adjust coloration of said flame accordingly. Can we proceed with the lesson now?”

“Yes, Mr. Vigil,” the class muttered as one.

About twenty minutes into this endeavor, Yuuri was squinting at the hands of his partner, Isaac, trying to see even a hint of a current to no avail. 

His head pulsed with pain, and he flinched.

Isaac gave him an odd look. “You okay?”

“Mmn.” Yuuri bit his lip. “I, uh… I think I need to take a break-”

“Mr. Vigil,” Isaac called.

“Wait-”

“What’s wrong?” Mr. Vigil asked.

“It’s nothing,” Yuuri interjected. “Just a headache. I’m okay.”

“Your Magic levels are stable,” Mr. Vigil said after a moment, “but, as they say, better safe than sorry. Yuuri, take a break. Isaac, join Gabriel and Theia.”

By the end of class, Yuuri’s headache had vanished, and he felt rather foolish.

“Take it easy this afternoon,” Mr. Vigil told him as he filed from the room with his classmates, which naturally made Yuuri want to do something stupid like drill roundhouse kicks for three hours, or run his three best dance routines back to back to back, or skate until he couldn’t feel his entire body.

Instead of doing any of that, Yuuri went to his bedroom, sent Minako a quick message saying he was going to miss their Japanese lesson for the day, and passed out on the bed.

 

_ Viktor was surrounded by shadowy figures, translucent and gleaming a color somewhere between red and black. They advanced until they were pressed close to him, and the air was becoming clouded, and Viktor was gasping, face white with pain- _

 

Yuuri’s eyes shot open, one hand flying to grip his head and the other to his bracelet, which felt like it was burning a stripe across his wrist. Again and again, Magic bubbled from him, and now Yuuri knew, he was having an outburst but that made it  _ worse, _ because he couldn’t  _ control _ it, he couldn’t  _ breathe, he couldn’t- _

“Breathe with me, Yuura,” filtered into his mind, the ‘u’ rolled out like a blanket over his senses, and Yuuri felt like electricity had shot down his spine. He sucked in a breath deep enough so that his vision blurred at the edges.

He calmed down in degrees, and soon came to realize that the familiar tingle in his body was Viktor’s Magic, and Viktor was sitting at his side, rubbing the backs of his hands. Excess Magic sparked off his skin.

“Is it over?” he murmured.

“It’s over,” said Viktor. “How do you feel?”

Yuuri grimaced. “Drained.”

“That makes sense,” Viktor said, mouth twitching into a smile.

The nurse appeared over Viktor’s left shoulder and Minako appeared over his right.

“Congratulations,” the nurse said. “Your Shift is over.”

“You make it sound like it’s a day job,” Minako objected.

“Certainly, it is,” the nurse said. “It’s hard work.”

Yuuri sat up, turning to Viktor and letting his brain filter out the other conversation. “Have you had any more visions lately?”

Viktor gave him a strange look. “No. Why?”

“I had a weird dream,” Yuuri said. He leaned a little closer, whispering into Viktor’s ear. “Do you think it was because of… the link?”

“I don’t know.” Viktor looked down and away, expression darkening. “I hope not.”

“Did you feel-?” 

“Yeah, I felt when it started,” Viktor said. “I got the nurse. It really wasn’t so bad this time, you just blew out your window. Phichit fixed it, though.”

“I’ll thank him later,” Yuuri said. He looked down at his hand, distracted by the glint of the gold ring on his finger, and realized-

“Viktor!”

“Huh?”

“Your gloves-”

The nurse and Minako both turned to look at them at Yuuri’s exclamation. Yuuri blushed, lowering his voice.

“You’re not wearing your gloves,” Yuuri said. “You always wear them.”

“Oh, I forgot-” 

Viktor started to pull back, but Yuuri held his hand tighter.

“Nothing bad’s happening,” said Yuuri, “so it’s okay, right?”

“I, uhm…” Viktor stared down at their hands, expression unreadable.

Yuuri squeezed his boyfriend’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Viktor looked up at him, and Yuuri was happy to see a wide smile on his face.

“It feels nice,” Yuuri said. And it did; their Magics meshed, curling together and creating a sort of fizzing feeling in Yuuri’s veins. 

He loved it.

“It does,” Viktor said, tentative.

Minako cleared her throat, and Viktor startled.

“It’s past midnight,” she said pointedly, "and you have my class tomorrow, Yuuri.”

“Right,” Yuuri said. He let Viktor pull him to his feet, wincing as several of his muscles twinged.

“I’ll see you in the morning?” he said to Viktor once the nurse had gone with Minako out into the hall.

“Sounds good.” Viktor yawned, covering his mouth as an afterthought. “I heard there’s going to be french toast.”

“None for me,” Yuuri said, “but the thought’s nice.”

“Aww, that’s sad.” Viktor bent forward and pecked Yuuri on the lips. “‘Night, Yuuri.”

“Yuck, morning breath,” Yuuri said, grinning but only half teasing.

“Ouch,” Viktor said. “I’ll remember that the next time you’re the damsel in distress.”

“You  _ wish _ I was a damsel in-”

“Are you two  _ quite _ finished in there?” came the nurse’s loud voice from the hallway. “Some of us would like to  _ sleep _ in the next century.”

“‘Night, Viktor,” Yuuri said.

“See you in the morning.”

“Not if I see you first.”

“Oh yeah?” Viktor smirked. “Well, I-”

“You have until the count of three before I come in there, so you’d better put some clothes on!” Minako yelled.

Viktor scampered from the room.

  
  


“Have you guys heard that they’ve tightened curfew?” Phichit said, mouth half-full of mashed potatoes.

Yuri made a face. “That’s disgusting.”

Phichit swallowed. “Sorry. Did you guys hear that, though?”

“No, I never heard anything about that,” Yuuri said, glancing up at the skylight. Dark clouds roiled overhead. 

“I dunno what it’s about,” said Phichit, “but we’re going to be stuck in our rooms from nine to six. The announcement’s supposed to come out soon.”

“Nine to six?” Yuuko groaned. “That sucks!”

“A curfew isn’t gonna stop anyone from sneaking out,” Minami said.

“True,” Phichit said.

“What’re your sources, anyways?” Yuuri asked.

Phichit grinned and put a finger to his lips. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

“How’ve your levitation lessons been going?” Yuuko asked Yuuri. “I’ve been meaning to ask, since your Shift is over with and all.”

“It’s been okay,” said Yuuri. “Better than before, at least.”

“That’s cool,” she said. “We’re in the same class, and I’ve been here all three years, and even  _ I _ can’t levitate yet.”

“You will!” Yuuri assured her. “I can help you, if you want.”

“That’d be awesome,” she said. “Then I can rub it in JJ’s face.”

“Speaking of that asshole…” Yuri put his elbows on the table and looked around. “Where the hell is everyone? It’s weird that it’s so quiet.”

“Lots of people are cramming for trimester exams,” Viktor said. “We’re getting our level tests any day now, right?”

“Level tests?” Yuuri’s brow furrowed.

“To place you in a higher or lower Magic class,” Viktor said. “They’re usually pretty boring. I don’t study for ‘em.”

“That’s because you’re already in the highest tier of Unda,” Yuri grumbled.

“That’s true.”

A bell chimed, signalling the end of the lunch period, and Yuuri stood, grabbing Viktor’s tray before Viktor could get to it. 

“Do you want to drill at the Sump for our partnerwork today?” Viktor asked. “I’ll buy us coffee.”

“Isn’t today one of our supervised-?”

“Nah,” Viktor said quickly, “I can get Yakov off our backs. What do you think?”

“Sounds nice-”

Yuuri tensed mid-sentence, looking up at the skylight again. Heavy snow had begun to fall, a thin layer already blocking much of the sky from view.

“Looks like we’ve got a whopper on the way,” Minami remarked as he passed the couple.

“That’s normal for this time of year,” Viktor said, seeming to sense Yuuri’s unease.

Yuuri nodded, unconvinced, and that odd feeling of uneasiness followed him through the day, Though he didn’t ask, he was pretty sure Viktor felt it as well.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deeply apologize for the long wait -- I had hoped to have this out weeks earlier, but I was on a yacht with zero access to my email or Wifi, so all I could do was homework and agonize over not working on this. The vast majority of this chapter (and the beginning of the next) was written in a coffee-fueled frenzy. I drank 11 oz (exactly) of Starbucks black coffee from a bottle and went "blbzblzlbzblzblzblzblz OKAY WE'RE GOOD."
> 
> We're getting close! Hope y'all picked up on my not-so-subtle weather foreshadowing for the end of this story. I've now solidified which ending I'm going to use and how we're gonna get there, for the most part. Gotta leave room for spontaneity!!
> 
> Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to pee, and I'll probably spend the next hour or so watching Steven Universe and/or listening to Hamilton (again) and/or browsing Tumblr. (My cousin got me hooked on SU, I watched all four plus some seasons a few weeks back with my horrific data connection on my phone, it was bad.) As always, comments are love, I adore talking to you!! Thanks for reading!!!!! <3 <3


	36. Monday, April 9th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor has a vision... in broad daylight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to ask for a fact if you want to comment (or just ask for a fact and don't give feedback, honestly you could just say "fact plz" and I'd be more than happy to dole one or two out, I have LOTS to give away)! Some might be alluded to but never said; some might be little secrets I kept in mind as I wrote; some might be things I already mentioned but forgot about. 
> 
> (And there are even three that are SPECIAL, including one about Magic loss, one about Magic compatibility, and... if you can guess the third, I'll give it to ya ;3). Here's a hint, take a stab even if you're not sure: it has to do with Viktor's past. I'll give another hint next chap if nobody guesses it!
> 
> If you're feeling indecisive, just pick a number between 1 and 39! (Besides 7, that's the big spoiler-y one, as well as 21, 28, and 31, because those were given away already.)

It was almost dinnertime, and Yuuri was standing at the base of the Southern Wing, squinting against the sun. He watched the Sphaer-up zipping up and down, up and down, and sighed, anticipating a long line before.

Viktor sidled up next to his boyfriend. “Hey, why the long face?”

“We’ll miss dinner at this rate,” Yuuri said, gesturing upwards.

“Do you two need a ride?”

Yuuri turned to see his Magical History teacher, Mr. Karpisek, standing a few feet away. He was wearing two pairs of glasses layered over one another, and his face was graced with a rare pleasant expression.

“Oh, that’d be great,” Viktor said, “we’d really appreciate it. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Mr. Karpisek said, and before Yuuri knew what was happening, his feet had left the ground,and he was flying upwards.

He grabbed Viktor’s coat sleeve. “Wh- wha-”

Viktor’s mouth was close to his ear. “You’ve never gotten a ride from a teacher before?”

“No…”

(In hindsight, Yuuri thought, ‘getting a ride’ should’ve been clue enough, though he’d thought of a Sphaera when Mr. Karpisek had first offered — either that, or the phrase was some sort of dirty inside joke that nobody acknowledged.)

They landed near the base of the Summit. Yuuri and Viktor arrived early to dinner and left for their rooms before many students even arrived.

After making sure no one was around to see, Yuuri snuck Viktor into his room, where they sat on Yuuri’s bed and talked for hours. Yuuri decided to call it a night when Viktor started nodding off hanging upside-down off the mattress.

“We have classes tomorrow,” he said in reply to Viktor’s mumbled complaints.

“Not if they get cancelled,” Viktor said, rolling over on top of Yuuri and pushing him back onto his pillows. “The storm’s supposed to be here any day now.”

“Minako said we’ll have a week or so of decent weather before the bad stuff hits,” Yuuri said, playing with a strand of Viktor’s hair, “so I wouldn’t count on it.”

Viktor hummed and bumped his forehead against Yuuri’s. “It’s supposed to be a big storm, isn’t it?”

“Mm, yeah, I think so.” A troubled feeling flickered through Yuuri, but he banished any negative thoughts, squirming out of Viktor’s grasp and pulling his sleep-addled partner to his feet. “Alright, let’s get you to bed-”

In their clumsy, giggly rush, Yuuri knocked into his desk, and something shattered on the floor. He gave it a fleeting look as he left the room, and had forgotten about it when he returned from the hall. His picture of Sorano laid facedown on the floor, surrounded by shards of glass and half-hidden under his desk, for the rest of the week.

  


Yuuri and Viktor had spent the past few weeks surreptitiously moving their desks closer and closer together in their one shared class (besides partnerwork), Advanced English. Both of their grades in said class were in the 90’s, so most of their “studying” time was spent chatting. Yuuri enjoyed English even more because of the time he was able to spend with Viktor.

Everyone was irritable because of the newly-instated curfew; even the teachers seemed more tense than usual. So, classes often dragged. Yuuri tried to make the best of it; being with Viktor helped.

The classroom was quiet. Mr. Qwu was sitting at his desk, entering grades into the gradebook, and the class was filling out an analysis sheet for the novella they were reading. Viktor had his book open, but he was staring out a window, seemingly lost in thought. Yuuri was having trouble focusing as well, as Viktor was tracing patterns on his arm. He wasn’t sure whether to feel embarrassed or excited or nervous, settling on experiencing a strange mixture of the three. Glancing at the clock, Yuuri saw the class wasn’t even half over-

Something in the air changed. Viktor’s hands went rigid, and a sudden wave of panic gripped Yuuri’s stomach. His head snapped up as Viktor shot to his feet, chair screeching across the floor, eyes fixed on a distant point.

“Viktor?” Yuuri started to stand.

Mr. Qwu looked up from his computer. “Mr. Nikiforov, please take a seat.”

Viktor started to shiver, and the feeling of panic in Yuuri’s stomach blossomed into full-blown terror.

“Vi-?”

Viktor went rigid, and Yuuri surged forward, supporting Viktor with both hands as his body jerked and shuddered. He eased Viktor to the floor. Viktor’s eyelashes were fluttering, and Yuuri caught flashes of blue as his eyes rolled back, and his teeth chattered, and he was convulsing so violently that Yuuri was terrified he would hurt himself.

Mr. Qwu was talking into his pager in a low, urgent voice. Their classmates kept their distance, murmuring to each other and tapping iM statuses on their pagers, no doubt.

Yuuri had Viktor halfway on his lap. He bent forward, whispering to him, eyes stinging. “Vitya… stay with me, ’m right here. Hey, Viktor, please-”

As Yuuri spoke, Viktor’s head lolled back. His hair fell away from his face, and as Yuuri shifted to accommodate, he saw it: a small, swirling mark, close to Viktor’s hairline. It was placed, it seemed, to be hidden by his hair at all times. Intrigued, Yuuri reached out and touched-

Images assaulted his mind: _a beautiful silver-haired woman vanishing into a cloud of mist, a snap of electricity accompanied by a chorus of screams, eyes dark with bloodlust…_

Yuuri and Viktor gasped in unison, and Viktor bolted upright, tripping over Yuuri in his haste to stand.

“Mr. Nikiforov!”

The entire classroom went silent. Yuuri stared up at Viktor in shock.

“Mr. Nikiforov,” Mr. Qwu repeated, quieter, and Viktor swayed, catching himself on the edge of a desk.

“What did you see?” Mr. Qwu asked.

Viktor was silent. Yuuri finally had the sense to stand, grab onto Viktor’s shirt.

“What happened?” Yuuri stammered. “What was that? Are you hurt? Did-”

When Viktor spoke, his voice was low. “We’re all in danger…”

Mr. Qwu inched closer. “Repeat that.”

 _“We’re all in danger,”_ Viktor said, with much more force, and a massive explosion rocked the room.

 

What felt like hours later but must have been only moments, Yuuri regained his bearings. Viktor was pulling him out the door of the classroom, and over his shoulder, Yuuri could see a few of his classmates lying on the floor, unmoving-

 _“Move,_ Yuuri!” Viktor shouted, and Yuuri regained his footing, pushing forward to run at Viktor’s side. The hallway was smoky, and people were beginning to fill the edges, yelling at one another. Nobody seemed to know what to do. Yuuri saw Mr. Qwu standing in the doorway of a classroom. He looked lost.

Viktor was moving with a purpose, though, and Yuuri seized his hand, tugging at it. _“Viktor!_ Viktor, what’s _happening?_ What’s going _on?!”_

“We need to get out, we need to get out, get _out-”_ Viktor kept saying, and he kept saying it over and over until Yuuri grabbed his arm with both hands, digging in his heels.

“Tell me what’s _happening!”_ he shrieked, forcing Viktor to look him in the eyes.

Their bracelets pulsed an erratic beat in their close proximity. Viktor’s eyes were blank, his face pained, and Yuuri recognized the look from that night at his parents’ on Christmas-

“Tell me what you saw,” he said, voice trembling, and when Viktor didn’t respond, he shook him by the shoulders, _“tell_ me!”

“We have to _go-”_

“What about Yurio? What about Phichit, and Yuuko, and-”

“It’s… I _can’t,_ Yuuri, they’re-” Viktor’s eyes were wide, reflecting Yuuri’s panicked face back at him. “It’s _too much-”_

“We have to _help.”_ The hallway shuddered again, and Yuuri took a bracing breath. “We have to help people get out, and then we can figure out what’s-”

_“Nobody move!”_

A booming voice echoed down the hall, sending a chill down Yuuri’s spine. The screaming and running came to a halt as every student and teacher in the hallway froze. At the same moment, the haze over Viktor’s eyes seemed to lift, and he gasped, grabbing Yuuri’s wrist.

“We need to leave, it’s-”

“Nobody’s going _anywhere,”_ boomed that same voice, “unless you want to _die_ today. And we don’t really want to hurt you. Unless you _make_ us.”

Viktor and Yuuri reached for each other in unison, pulling each other into an embrace.

“Vitya,” Yuuri breathed near Viktor’s ear. “What’s happening?”

“They’re coming to take us,” Viktor breathed back. “We… we can’t let them take us, Yuuri. Not if we…”

His sentence trailed off, and Yuuri was fine with it going unfinished.

“What should we do?”

“We need to fight,” Viktor said, “get as many people out of here as we can. I just got, _unh-”_ He flinched, dropping his head onto Yuuri’s shoulder. “-just got bits and pieces, but we have to get _out-”_

“I want everyone on their knees! Don’t fight back,” the voice said, a cruel edge creeping in. “We don’t want to hurt you, but _we will if we have to.”_

Yuuri’s mind raced. If they complied, who knew what would happen, if these people would hurt them, murder them, sell them, or what — if they fought back, people might get injured, they might be forced to kill-

 _Viktor._ Yuuri lifted his head and looked, and Viktor was shaking against him, face hidden in Yuuri’s shoulder. _He can’t fend for himself yet. I have to protect him._

As Yuuri stood there, panicking, the decision was made for him. The loudspeakers crackled to life, but what rang out was nothing even remotely similar to the end-of-class bell.

 _“Is this thing on?”_ Feedback crackled before fading away. _“Okay…_ **_Everyone!”_ **

“It’s Yurio,” Viktor said, and Yuuri realized he was right.

 _“Yeah, it’s_ **_me,_ ** _bitches. We’re on shitty inspirational speech duty, I guess, so here goes.”_ Yuri cleared his throat before continuing at a shout. “ _Get your shit_ **_together_ ** _, people! Are we really gonna just stand by and let these_ **_fuckers_ ** _do what they want-?!”_

The loudspeaker screeched, and a new voice replaced Yuri’s: Otabek’s. _“What he meant to say is that we can’t just sit idly by. We’re all students of Apricus, aren’t we? We need to_ **_unite!”_ **

“Don’t any of you even _think_ about listening to this freak!” came the voice from down the hall, but nobody was listening. Yuuri was amazed at how ignited Otabek sounded.

_“You don’t need us to tell you what to do! Don’t give up, protect each other; we won’t let them take us alive!!”_

Yuri chimed back in. _“Suck it, assholes!!”_

The speaker went silent. The hall was completely still.

Mr. Qwu stepped forward, banging his walking stick on the ground and startling everyone, including the intruders.

“Well?!” he shouted. “Have _none_ of you analyzed your novels?”

“Nope!” several people called back. The oppressive air in the hall shifted at once, scattered peals of laughter rang out, and people began summoning various balls of earthen material, water, and fire-

A figure in appeared to Mr. Qwu’s right, mere feet from Yuuri and Viktor The figure held an odd-looking metal object, and as they flicked their wrist, it began crackling with electricity.

Yuuri gasped, and Viktor’s fingernails dug into his skin: they both recognized it as the object from Viktor’s vision.

 _“No!”_ Viktor cried, but at the moment he did, the figure drove the weapon into Mr. Qwu’s side.

Their teacher went rigid before collapsing to the ground. For a pregnant second, the hall was frozen-

“You _bastard!”_ someone yelled, and violence exploded into being all around them.

Viktor and Yuuri, disoriented and inexperienced as they were, locked hands and pushed forward. The black-clad intruders outnumbered the students two to one, but each Apricusian fought with the fury of a wild animal. Magic ricocheted, people screamed, but there was a force, a purpose, that had never been there before; something driving, something dangerous.

Yuuri tried not to think about it. He tried not to think at all. _Just hold onto Viktor and get to the Core._

The Core, as it turned out, was as chaotic as the hallway had been. It was clear to see that any infiltration that had occurred had been well-planned, as there were interlopers armed to the teeth every few feet.

“Quick, this way,” Viktor said, pulling on Yuuri’s hand, but a group of the invaders spotted them, blocking their path. Glancing to his other side, Yuuri saw more of his classmates ripping off pieces of railing and flinging them at their attackers — no opportunity for escape that way.

Viktor and Yuuri shuffled backwards, unwilling to release each other, until Yuuri’s back hit the rail.

“Do you have any water?” Viktor’s voice was strangely calm.

“No,” Yuuri managed. He couldn’t hear himself over the pulsing of blood in his ears.

“I didn’t see any further than this,” said Viktor in that same flat tone. “We can’t let them take us, Yuuri. We can’t.”

“B- but how-”

It happened in a blur.

Yuuri took his eyes off their attackers for a moment, dying to look into Viktor’s eyes and be reassured.

Black streaked towards them.

Viktor, wordless, wrenched Yuuri backwards, himself forwards.

Yuuri, frozen in place, had a perfect view as one of the electric weapons buried itself in Viktor’s side. There was a sickening noise, something electric and burning.

 

Viktor stumbled, collapsing into Yuuri, who caught him with numb hands. They fell into the already-weakened railing, which buckled under their combined weight, and before Yuuri could even process why Viktor was in his arms, they were falling through open air.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Next update will be tomorrow, internet permitting.


	37. Wednesday, April 11th

For once in his life, Yuuri’s anxiety was absent. His mind was blank. He didn’t even register the wind blowing past, the screaming, the smoke. 

He spun until he was facing the bottom of the Core. Or where the bottom of the Core would have been, if there wasn’t a gaping hole where the Sump used to be. The Northern Wing had a hole blown through its base.

Faces flashed by him, too fast for him to comprehend or recognize. He’d forgotten how to breathe-

Then, the cold air hit him like a slap in the face. He gasped, and the world around him rippled into perfect focus. His glasses were somehow still on his face.

The sky was completely dark. Large flakes of snow fluttered down from thick, gray clouds. The Northern Wing was somehow still levitating above its Southern counterpart, which was growing larger at an alarming rate below him. 

Below  _ them. _

In an instant, mind racing, Yuuri knew what he had to do.

Wrapping his arms around Viktor’s limp body, Yuuri drew as much Magic as he could to his core. From there, it spread through his body —he  _ forced _ it through his body — and it burned as it reached his hands and feet. A sudden image of the wings he had imagined in his group meditation popped into his head. 

The wind rushing past them slowed, and they came to a stop mid-air.

Taking a deep breath, Yuuri held Viktor as tight as he could, imagined their gentle descent to the ground, imagined his silver wings keeping them aloft.

After what seemed like forever, they touched down at the base of the Southern Wing. Viktor’s legs folded, and Yuuri went to the ground with him. 

At least a foot of snow had already fallen; Viktor and Yuuri sank knee-deep into it. A gust of cold air blew past them, and Yuuri shivered. Neither him nor Viktor was wearing a coat.

_ We just need to find somewhere to hide, wait this out,  _ Yuuri thought, trying not to become frantic,  _ but we can’t stay here, and we can’t go in there, but…  _ Yuuri shivered.  _ We have to go in, I have to keep him warm in case his Magic needs to regenerate. _

Yuuri struggled to his feet, picking Viktor up as carefully as he could. He let some of his Magic run down his arms and run into Viktor’s system, but he only felt a faint pulse of Magic in response…

A loud noise made Yuuri’s head whip to the side, and a nearby door he hadn’t noticed scraped open. His mind went blank. He froze in place.

Phichit’s head appeared in the doorway, eyes screwed up against the onslaught of snowflakes. He gaped when he saw Yuuri and Viktor.

“Oh my god,” Phichit said after a moment’s hesitation, “come in, hurry!”

Once Yuuri had stumbled past him, Phichit quietly shut the door. Yuuri could hear the sounds of fighting all around them, but the hall was cut off from the rest of the Wing. 

“Thank  _ god _ you’re okay,” Phichit said under his breath. “How the hell did you even-”

“I flew,” Yuuri said.

“Wha- But-” The panicked look on Phichit’s face lessened for a minute, and he grinned. “That’s awesome, Yuuri!”

“Yeah, I still kinda can’t believe it either.” Yuuri shifted Viktor in his arms. “Have you found anyone else?”

Phichit’s face darkened. “Georgi’s gone, can’t find him anywhere. Otabek and I have been hiding out back here.”

“What about Yurio?” Yuuri asked, thinking back to the broadcast.

“He got taken,” said Phichit, grimacing. “Otabek was there and everything. Barely got out. They used some kind of weird thing, it was all electric-y-”

“They got Viktor, too,” Yuuri said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice. His grip on Viktor tightened.

“Hey,” Phichit said, putting a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder and steering him towards a nearby door branching from the hallway. “It’s gonna be okay, Yuuri. We’ll hole up here, wait it out-”

“You don’t  _ know _ that!” Yuuri found himself saying, lips numb and heart racing. “We don’t know  _ anything, _ Phichit: why they’re here, what they’re going to do to us, even what those weapons do! For all we know, Viktor’s  _ never _ going to wake up-”

“Yuuri, I know you’re upset,” Phichit said in a low voice, “but if you don’t keep your voice down, we’re  _ all _ as good as dead.”

Eyes stinging, Yuuri shut his mouth, shouldering his way through the door. Through it was a small broom closet, and Otabek was sitting in the corner, one knee propping up his head. He glanced up at Yuuri before returning his gaze to the opposite wall.

He flinched when the ceiling trembled. Phichit crouched next to Yuuri as he laid Viktor down on the floor, Yuuri positioning himself so Viktor’s head would rest in his lap.

“He’s gonna be okay, Yuuri,” Phichit tried again.

“You don’t know that,” Yuuri repeated. He let his head hang, fighting to keep the tears in his eyes at bay. “Sorry I got mad, Phichit. It’s just…” He trailed off.

“I know,” Phichit said. “This is a bad situation and we’re all-”

“Bad?” Otabek loomed over them, face in shadow. “Phichit, don’t kid yourself. This situation is fucked.”

“Look, I’m just trying to-”

“Stop trying,” Otabek said, “and be realistic. That motivational shit Yura and I intercommed was just that: shit. You actually think we can  _ beat _ these assholes?  _ You’ve _ seen what they can do!”

“We all have,” Phichit said, but Otabek wasn’t listening. 

Phichit and Yuuri watched in silence as Otabek started to pace the small room. It was unclear whether Otabek was talking to them or to himself.

“They must have planned this months in advance,” Otabek continued, “maybe  _ years. _ They want something.  _ Something… _ But they don’t want to kill us, so why-”

“We don’t know,” Yuuri said in a small voice. “None of us do.”

“I know,” Otabek said. He stopped, slapping his hand against the wall and leaning against it.  _ “Fuck, _ I  _ know.” _

“Yurio’s potty mouth rubbing off on you?” Phichit tried.

At that, Otabek sagged against the wall. Phichit got to his feet, going over and putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“I’m really worried about him,” Otabek muttered, facing the wall.

“He’s going to be fine. We all are.”

Viktor stirred in Yuuri’s lap, moaning and lifting one hand to his face. 

Yuuri took his hand and held it to his chest. “Viktor! How do you feel?”

“Ughh” was Viktor’s reply. 

He hesitated, eyes slowly opening and closing. “What… happened?” His eyebrows drew together. “We fell… I couldn’t move, and we, we fell, and I…”

“Blacked out, I think.” Yuuri’s fingers danced across Viktor’s face, down to a pulse point on his neck. “Are you okay?”

“Head hurts.” Viktor tried to sit up, groaned, and collapsed back into Yuuri’s lap. “Where are we?”

Phichit looked over at them. “Closet in the Southern Wing,” he said. 

“Where… where’s everyone?”

Something in his voice felt accusatory to Yuuri. 

“We don’t know,” he said, looking away.

_ “Well?” _

Yuuri blinked as Viktor rolled off him, bracing himself on his hands and knees before rising to his feet. He looked down at Yuuri, stretching out a hand. “We’re going to go find them, aren’t we?”

“Viktor-”

“We’re outnumbered,” Otabek said.

“We don’t know who, or what we’re up against,” Yuuri added.

Viktor stared at the three of them, mouth half-open. “So, what? We’re going to just hide here until… what?”

“Uh.” Phichit had a guilty look on his face. “Well. That, uh, that’s a good-”

“Look,” Viktor said, swaying in place, “I know we’re all kinda scared, but that’s no excuse for ditching our friends.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri said, placing a hand on Viktor’s shoulder. “We could  _ die.” _

“We won’t  _ die,” _ Viktor said. “They said they didn’t want to kill us, right? Why are we even still talking about this again?”

“You’re not-”

“What I’m  _ not _ is  _ hiding _ in here any longer,” Viktor said, and before Yuuri could protest, Viktor had thrown open the door and walked out into the hallway. Yuuri exchanged a fleeting glance with Phichit and Otabek before following.

The door leading to the Center was ajar. Yuuri rushed to it, flinging it open and running straight into a warzone.

Yuuri could hardly see five feet in front of him because of the smoke. (Was there fire? He couldn’t tell.) All around him, students ran and yelled, and pieces of shrapnel flew through the air. 

The only thing Yuuri could tell for certain, from what he could see, was that him and his classmates were utterly outnumbered, and completely out of their league. Apricus didn’t train you to fight  _ technology _ — it taught you to fight yourself, to fight loss of control. 

Someone seized Yuuri’s arm: Leo. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were singed. 

“Keep moving!” he called, pulling Yuuri forward. “Don’t stop!”

A blast of air cleared a path through the smoke, and Yuuri caught a glimpse of Viktor a few yards away, struggling in the grip of four of the intruders. Yuuri yanked away from Leo and rushed towards Viktor, feeling the familiar buzz of Magic as his rage mounted.

Again, someone’s hand closed around Yuuri’s bicep. He whirled, ready to yell at Leo, but stopped when he came face-to-face with Headmaster Atlas.

“Let me go!” There was something unsettling in the Headmaster’s eyes. Yuuri pulled back, but Atlas’ grip was like iron. “Viktor’s in trouble, I need to-”

“We don’t need any more dead,” said Atlas in a soft voice.

Yuuri hesitated, watching the Headmaster’s expression contort. “I… I d-”

One of the intruders approached Atlas from behind. Yuuri tensed, opening his mouth to shout, when Atlas turned around and addressed the man. “Deploy the gas on my command.”

“Yes, sir,” the figure replied, moving away.

Horror gripped Yuuri’s stomach. 

_ “You…” _

There was pain on Atlas’ face. Yuuri was a moment away from screaming, from freaking out at this betrayal, and yet-

_ I don’t have time for this.  _ Yuuri whirled away from Headmaster Atlas and ran blindly forward, searching for Viktor. The smoke had settled again. He used a burst of Magic to blow it away, but Viktor was nowhere to be seen.

He pushed up from the ground, managing a slow drift above the crowd. He spotted a flash of silver near the base of the Ramp, and saw Viktor backed up against a wall, a scared-looking Minami at his side.

Yuuri dropped behind the group of interlopers and made a wide gesture with his arm, sending them flying across the Center. Viktor’s eyes widened, and he ran forward to grab Yuuri as his knees weakened.

“You’re okay,” Viktor breathed.

“That’s my line,” Yuuri said.

“Oh my god, that was  _ so cool,” _ Minami said, eyes wide.

Reaching up, Yuuri brushed aside Viktor’s bangs, revealing the small, swirling mark.

“What is it?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor’s mouth opened and closed a few times. He took a deep breath, composing himself. “My mom did it,” he said. “Helps with my visions. It’s the only reason I could go to Apricus at all.”

“You can tell me more about it later,” Yuuri said, setting his hands on Viktor’s shoulders and steadying himself. “First, we’ve got to find a way out of here…”

He trailed off, distracted by the sudden onset of a sweet smell. Looking up into Viktor’s face, a spark of fear rippled between them.

Muffled thumps; bodies hitting the floor, most likely. Viktor’s hands slipped off his waist.

“The gas,” Yuuri realized, and his vision went black. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 comment = 1 fact.
> 
> The final chapter is up tomorrow, and the epilogue the next night.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All is revealed, and Yuuri and Viktor face an impossible choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Try not to get whiplash...

Yuuri came to when his head slammed into something hard. Metal? He couldn’t tell; he couldn’t gather his thoughts.

He opened his eyes, moaning as a migraine hit him full-force. Light filtered in through a small, slotted window a few feet from his face. His body jolted again, almost lifting clear off the floor, and it occurred to him that he must be in some sort of vehicle.

When he tried to lift a hand to his forehead, Yuuri realized his hands were tied behind him, and his legs were bound as well. His glasses were nowhere to be found.

“Oy,” someone mumbled from close by, and something moved under the backs of Yuuri’s knees. “You’re crushing me.”

“Sorry!” Yuuri shifted onto his side. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. That gas stuff’s a bitch. I don’t think anyone else’s even awake yet.”

“I’m Yuuri.”

“Theia. You’re in my groupwork, aren’t you?”

“I think so.” Yuuri shifted again. “When did you wake up? Just now?”

“Yeah,” she said.

They were quiet for a minute.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Theia said, almost as if she was trying to convince herself.

Yuuri hesitated before replying. “Yeah.”

Minutes passed, and more people started moving around. Yuuri decided against sitting up, but strained his eyes in the darkness to look for Viktor.

What looked like a blob of silver hair caught Yuuri’s attention. “Unhh... Yuuri…?”

“Viktor!” Yuuri squirmed across the metal floor towards the blurry silver until Viktor’s slumped form came into view. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” said Viktor, rolling onto his side to face Yuuri, “but my head hurts.”

“Mine, too. Must’ve been the gas.”

Viktor used the metal wall to help himself sit up, and Yuuri managed to get up next to him.

“Where _are_ we?” Viktor asked.

“I think we’re in a van.”

“So they _did_ want to kidnap us.”

Yuuri bit back a sardonic response.

Viktor sighed. “I can’t feel my Magic,” he said.

“Wh- Really-?” Yuuri tried to summon some of his Magic to his hands, but as he watched, the thin bindings around his wrists glowed a faint red, and nothing happened.

“This was all calculated,” said someone nearby. “Everything these guys used was safeguarding against our Magic.”

“I can’t _believe_ it,” someone else raged. “This is _fucked!_ What the _fuck-_ ”

They were cut off by everyone shrieking as the vehicle shot over a large bump. Yuuri bit  his tongue and swore, tasting blood.

“You okay?” Viktor’s voice vibrated; the road they’d switched to was much rougher than the one before.

“Ow.” Yuuri swallowed and nodded. “‘M okay.”

Yuuri debated putting his head on Viktor’s shoulder, but decided against it. He was more likely to smash heads with Viktor than gain any comfort from being cuddly.

Ten minutes or so passed, and tension was becoming thick in the air. People were talking loudly, complaining, trying to form some kind of plan of escape, when the vehicle jerked to a stop. The dimness devolved into dead silence.

There was a grinding sound, and a set of doors were pulled open. Yuuri blinked in the bright light. Several backlit figures stood in the doorway. One reached forward and grabbed the nearest kid by the arm, dragging them out of the vehicle.

“Don’t fight,” said one of them, brandishing one of the electric weapons.

Yuuri looked back to Viktor, wide-eyed, as he was seized by the arm and pulled. He scrambled for words, but found none, nearly collapsing when his feet hit the ground.

“Keep moving,” came a feminine voice, and Yuuri was pushed forward. He tried to take in his surroundings all at once: in front of him was a large, steeply sloping hill with a gaping hole at its base, and all around them were flat fields of snow. The sky was clear. Glancing over his shoulder, Yuuri saw more of his classmates being forced out of several large vans.

The masked woman scowled. “I said _keep moving,”_ she said, shoving him again, and Yuuri staggered forward into a group of fellow Apricusians.

“Best to do what she says,” said another man in the same dark costume as all the others. “They don’t call her Megahertz for nothin’.”

“Is that a pun?” Yuuri found himself asking, “like the unit of-”

“Shut up, kid,” the guy said, “or she _might_ accidentally _kill_ you.”

Yuuri shut up.

They were led into the hole in the mountainside, which turned out to be a low tunnel. Yuuri slowed his pace, scanning the crowd of students for Viktor. The woman, Megahertz, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him forward.

“Let me go,” Yuuri protested, conviction weakening when she pinned him with a death glare.

“Don’t make my job harder, shrimp,” she said. “Just do what they tell you, and you won’t get hurt-”

“‘They?’”

“Stop asking questions,” she hissed, “and don’t interrupt me. Do you have a fucking death wish?”

The tunnel became darker and darker until Yuuri couldn’t see two feet in front of him, until a light appeared ahead. All of a sudden, the tunnel opened up into a massive, well-lit room. Yuuri’s eyes bugged out of his head as his eyes landed on the room’s main attraction: a swirling vortex of white and blue, surrounded by a bubble of scientific equipment.

A portal to the Realm. From what Yuuri remembered from his studies, these portals were extremely rare, and anyone who went through one was never heard from again-

“Welcome, students of Magic!”

Every head in the room swiveled to see a man in a starched white lab coat step out from behind a tall piece of machinery. He beamed at the bewildered expressions of the students.

“My name is Doctor Adams, and I’m sure you’re all just _dying_ to know why I’ve brought you here,” he continued, rubbing his hands together. He had a distinctly mad-scientist air about him.

“We’re about to make history!” proclaimed Doctor Adams, gesturing towards the portal. “Never before has a portal been studied in such close proximity, and my colleagues and I have decided that the next step in our experiment must be carried out using some, shall we say, test subjects. Guinea pigs, shall we say?”

“So, what, we’re just tools to you?!”

The man’s head straightened. “Who said that?”

“It was _me,_ you assh- Hey, get your _fucking_ hands _off-”_

Yuuri’s eyes widened as a henchman dragged Yuri in front of the crowd.

“To answer your question,” Doctor Adams said in a pleasant tone of voice, addressing a glaring Yuri, “yes, you are tools to me. Politically important tools, but tools nonetheless.”

“So, what, this is a power play?” someone else called from the crowd.

“Precisely, young lady.” Adams smiled, then nodded to the henchman. “Release him. We’ve not chosen our candidate yet.”

Yuri yanked his arm away and rejoined who Yuuri saw to be Otabek.

Doctor Adams pulled a pocket watch from an inner pocket and checked the time. He tsked, shaking his head. “Time’s a-wasting,” he said. “Now, tell me: which of you is the grandson of Sorano Katsuki?”

Yuuri’s blood ran cold.

Nobody spoke. A few people near Yuuri side-eyed him, but said nothing.

“Ah, well, then,” Adams said, smile remaining bright. “I give you all one more chance, before we do this… what is it called these days? The _hard_ way.”

Not a single person moved.

Adams appeared to scan the crowd for a few seconds. His eyes landed on something — or some _one,_ rather — and with a flick of his wrist, Megahertz stepped forward, parted the crowd, and manhandled a rapidly paling Viktor to face the doctor.

Yuuri’s heart skipped a beat, and he was about to step forward when someone put a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t,” Chris said.

“It’s nothing personal, son,” Doctor Adams said, giving Viktor a consoling pat on the arm. “I can see you’ve already been hit with our prod once. I’m skilled at picking the weakest link out of a group.”

Viktor gave him an icy glare, the intensity of which was dampened by the fact that he was swaying in place.

The doctor turned and addressed Megahertz. “Give him something at half-power. I want him awake.”

Megahertz drew one of the electric weapons and thrust it into Viktor’s back. Yuuri’s eyes burned as tears welled, but Chris still held him back.

“Gun,” the doctor said, and the room stilled as Megahertz unholstered a pistol and placed it in Adams’ hand. Viktor, dazed and dizzy, didn’t even flinch when the doctor seized his arm, pulled Viktor in front of him, and placed the barrel of the gun to Viktor’s temple.

There was an audible intake of breath in the cavernous room.

“Now,” the doctor said sweetly. “If Mr. Katsuki doesn’t step forward in the next ten seconds, this boy’s blood-” Viktor flinched as the gun pressed harder, “-will be on your hands. Or at the very least your conscience.” Adams surveyed the crowd again. “Ten. Nine. Eight-”

Yuuri turned back to Chris as the doctor continued his countdown. “Chris, I _have_ to,” he whispered.

“This psycho’s called you out by _name,_ Yuuri,” Chris said. “If you go up there, you’re _dead.”_

“If I _don’t, Viktor’s_ dead.” Yuuri pulled away from him. “I’m sorry.”

“Three. Dear me,” the doctor said, “you are a _brutal_ bunch. Two-”

_“It’s me!”_

Yuuri pushed his way towards Viktor. Apricusians around him turned to look, horrified.

“It’s me,” Yuuri said again, standing tall in front of the doctor. Up close, Yuuri could see the whites of the man’s eyes, the bloodshot veins running through them. The way he sized Yuuri up was close to predatory.

“Yes, I do believe it is,” Adams said. “You look just like her. The spitting image.”

“How do you know Sorano?” Yuuri’s eyes were fixed on Viktor, who was staring at him, fear on his face. _Don’t worry,_ Yuuri tried to communicate, _I’ll get us out-_

 _“Know_ her? Dear boy, I've been experimenting on her for the past two years!”

Yuuri’s eyes left Viktor’s. He stared at the doctor, incredulous.

“Whoopsies, did I say that out loud?” Doctor Adams’ laugh was hollow, bell-like. “I did grow so attached to her. I was quite torn up when Lesayana Tetran showed up as she did and freed her. We were making such progress with the gas, too.”

Through his growing confusion and anger, Yuuri realized that Adams had lowered his voice so that he was only audible to the two of them. Yuuri’s eyes narrowed.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked.

“Because it’s your _legacy,_ Yuuri Katsuki,” said the doctor. “I know for a fact that your grandmother’s Magic is compatible with the frequencies of this field, so I also know for a fact that your Magic will allow you to pass through it without dying.”

“Without dying-?!”

“Oh, yes, there’s that little hitch I came across,” Adams said, waving one hand. The other held the gun unwaveringly to Viktor’s head. “I always monitor my test subjects, you see. The last batch was a wash. All failures. But you… I will connect your Magic to my instruments, and we will finally see what lies beyond-”

 

At that very moment, a thundering explosion over their heads caused a third of the room to buckle. A number of scientists were crushed in an instant. The room trembled. The ties binding Yuuri and Viktor's Magic disintegrated as a heavy piece of machinery sparked and imploded, and the crowd of students felt their Magic rush back to them-

The doctor pulled the trigger at the same time he was knocked off-balance. Blood arced into the air, and Yuuri screamed as Viktor fell towards him-

Viktor seized Yuuri’s shoulders to hold himself up. _“I’m okay!!”_ he shouted over the sound of everyone shouting, machinery sparking, more explosions going off. He looked up into Yuuri’s face, blood tracing lines down his right cheek. “I’m _okay,_ Yuuri, it only grazed me!”

Yuuri was hyperventilating; he felt like he might faint. He quickly came to his senses as Viktor sagged in his arms. “Oh my god,” Yuuri said, looking frantically around as dust and soot swirled around them. “We’ve got to get you out of here, come on-”

Doctor Adams appeared behind Viktor. “Going somewhere?” he said.

“Stay the _hell_ away from us,” Yuuri spat, but Adams had already leveled the gun at his face. Yuuri growled and shifted Viktor away from the doctor. Viktor seemed to be barely clinging to consciousness.

“I fully intend to finish what I started,” Adams said, “according to plan or not.” His eyes darted down to Viktor and Yuuri’s intertwined fingers and the gold gleaming there. “Sweethearts, mm?” He smiled again, and Yuuri felt sick. “You can go together, if you come quietly-”

“Give it up, Adams! You’re outnumbered!”

The three of them turned to look as a hurricane of robe-clad Elementalists stormed through the entrance of the tunnel. Leading the charge was a woman with long, fluttering silver hair, and next to her, in a shimmering silver kimono-

“Sorano,” Yuuri and Adams said in unison: Yuuri in disbelief, Adams with glee.

“That’s, that’s my mom, that’s… _LESAYANA!”_ Viktor screamed.

The woman, Viktor’s mother, looked in their direction, her mouth dropping open. “Adams!” She raised her hands, and a mass of water twined around her body. “Step _away_ from my _son!”_

Sorano looked over, too, and her eyes locked with Yuuri’s, brown on brown. Yuuri couldn’t move, could only stare, barely aware of the gun still trained at his head-

“I don’t think so,” Adams said. He lowered the gun to his side, slipping something (a remote?) from the inner pocket of his lab coat, and as soon as an opening appeared, Lesayana’s water slid across the quaking ground and wrapped around the doctor’s foot-

In the same moment, Lesayana pulled Adams off his feet, the gun fired into Yuuri’s leg, and Yuuri, crying out in pain, used a blast of air to push him and Viktor back from the doctor-

And Adams, grinning, crushed the remote in his hand.

 

The ceiling above Viktor and Yuuri buckled in a perfectly straight line, leaving them stumbling back from the explosions, and the ensuing rockfall hid the exit, as well as their friends and potential rescuers, from Yuuri and Viktor’s view. Doctor Adams, who had been pulled off his feet by the tendril of water, was crushed at once.

Yuuri’s chest compressed. He limped back, dragging Viktor with him, as more and more of the ceiling began to give way. He realized they were backing _away_ from any possible exit-

And _towards_ the portal.

Viktor sensed Yuuri’s line of thought in an instant.

“We _can’t,_ Yuuri,” Viktor said.

“Adams said my Magic would work with it, right? And, and _our_ Magics are compatible, so-”

“He could’ve been _lying!”_

A piece of rock tore past Yuuri, raising a stripe of blood down his side. He pulled the two of them further back.

“We don’t have a _choice,_ Viktor,” he panted through the pain. The portal was only a few feet away, and the ceiling was almost completely collapsed. If the rocks hit them, they’d be dead on impact. “I don’t have any Magic left. I, I’m _sorry…_ Either we go-”

“-Or we die,” Viktor finished for him.

Strange breezes danced around the portal. Yuuri put one hand on Viktor’s waist and the other on his shoulder, and Viktor mirrored him, steadying him when Yuuri’s knee almost buckled under his weight. It was quiet at the border of the portal, somehow.

“Ready?”

Yuuri nodded, then leaned forward for a sudden kiss.

“I love you,” he said.

Viktor’s lips twitched into a weak smile. “You wait until we’re possibly about to die to say it?”

Yuuri kissed him again. Their foreheads touched.

 

“…I love you, too.”

 

They let themselves fall into the portal, wind rushing around them, as the room collapsed.

 

 

The portal swirled out of existence.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know that impossible choice?
> 
> They chose each other.


	39. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world is left reeling from the attack.

**_Radical Attack on Prestigious Magic School_ **

_BY CHELSEA CYCLAMEN_

 

_ Two weeks ago, a radical Earthen organization launched an attack on Apricus, a Magic school in the northern sector, that would irreversibly damage current and future Earthen-Elementalist relations Continent-wide. _

 

_ This radical group, self-named “Earthens for Knowledge and Justice,” or EKJ, had been operating for years without raising any suspicion within the Earthen government. Their infiltration of Apricus is now known to have been planned over a year in advance, utilizing leaked information from an unknown source to form a plan of attack.  _

 

_ Soon after the initial attack, the school’s airborne “Northern Wing” lost all power and fell from the sky, crushing the top of the school’s mountainous “Southern Wing.” Casualties are estimated in the hundreds; officials are still recovering bodies from the wreckage. _

 

_ Eyewitness reports from students recount how a potent gas was used to render all Magical individuals in a section of the school unconscious. (Scientists are baffled at how the gas, which appears to be a reagent using gaseous fentanyl, affects only those with the Spark. Investigation is ongoing.) Close to 100 students were kidnapped by members of the EKJ and brought to a remote location: a cave harboring an unknown amount of scientific equipment. _

 

_ The Assembly of Four were alerted at once to the attack when their Unda member, Lesayana Tetran, sensed a major shift in Magical usage. She and her colleagues followed the EKJ vehicles using Magic tracking. (Among Tetran’s colleagues was Sorano Katsuki, who was recently “found” after years of reported death, see page 11 for details.) Their arrival triggered what eyewitnesses describe as explosives embedded in the walls of the cavern. Most of the students escaped with minor injuries, with the exception of two students, Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov, who are thought to have perished in the cave’s collapse, though their bodies have not been found. The EKJ’s leader, Konnor Adams, is reported dead. The bodies of 53 EKJ members and 8 students have been recovered. _

 

_ The President of the High Senate, Blake Reed, released a statement shortly following the attack: “As a member of the High Senate, but also an Earthen as well as a human being, I am shocked and dismayed to see radical groups using violence and hate to drive the wedge between Spark-carriers and Earthens even deeper. I call all citizens to mourn the loss of life at Apricus on April the 11th, a date which will no doubt stay with us as an anniversary of this horrific assault, but to keep hope strong and community stronger. We cannot let hatred divide us.” _

  
  


 

* * *

**_Former Headmaster of Apricus Turns Self In; Search For Bodies Continues; Survivors Found Near Mistlight_ **

_ BY CHELSEA CYCLAMEN _

 

_ A remarkable report came in this morning concerning a man named Mr. Atlas, the former head of Apricus. He had come to a police station and turned himself in, handing over a year’s worth of correspondence between him and Adams (former head of the EKJ) to the police. Apparently, the head of the school, had orchestrated part of the attack on Apricus from the inside. He faces a lifetime in prison. Eyewitness reports say he begged the policeman for mandatory community service as his arrest was taking place. _

 

_ Atlas’ court case will take place near the end of May. His lawyer, at the request of Atlas, released an official statement to the press: “I cannot say anything other than ‘I had no choice.’ Adams took my wife and my baby. He said he would kill them if I didn’t help him. What would any of you have done?” _

 

_ The statement has drawn the support of many charity groups, both Earthen and Magical. Public support seems high as well, and poll numbers only went higher when a woman claiming to be Atlas’ wife was found in an attic on one of the EKJ’s properties. She and her child are being treated at a local hospital for severe dehydration. “The only reason I survived was because of the water supply that was left with me,” Mrs. Atlas said in a short interview with XYZ News. “The EKJ were brutes, but they kept us alive.” When asked about her husband, Mrs. Atlas cried, and the interview was cut short by the hospital staff. _

 

_ In other news: a month has passed since the infamous attack on Magic school Apricus, and the ruins of Apricus have been overturned in search of the bodies of students still reported missing.  _

 

_ Surprisingly, more survivors have been found than corpses: Minami Kenjirou, a young Unda (water-abled), organized a group of nearly thirty peers and escaped into the mountains surrounding the esteemed school. They emerged from the forest bordering Mistlight, nearly 100 miles north of their initial escape. Kenjirou agreed to give a comment, his eyes lit up as I recorded: “I just wanted to do the right thing,” he told me. “Everyone was scared. I was REALLY scared! But I knew someone had to help them. Yuuri would’ve.” _

 

_ When I told him they still hadn’t found Yuuri Katsuki’s body, he replied optimistically. “That means he isn’t dead, then! I know he and Viktor will come home eventually.” _

 

 

* * *

 

“I still haven’t thanked you,” Sorano said, putting down her pencil, “for coming to get me out of that facility.”

“Yes, you have,” Lesayana said, braiding miniscule strands of her hair and staring out the window. “Multiple times.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Again.” Lesayana cracked a smile. “It was my pleasure.”

“How did you find me, anyways?” Sorano put her forehead against the cool top of her desk. “My location was supposed to be untraceable.”

“We were partners, remember? And arguably linked.” Lesayana tapped the side of her head. “I followed my intuition.”

“We still  _ are _ partners, Lessa,” Sorano said.

“And now that you’re a Tetran again, we can work on that snownado technique you were talking about-”

Sorano’s lips quirked up into a small smile. “After all this time, you still-?”

They were interrupted when someone started banging on the door to the study. Lesayana stood and let in their visitor, who turned out to be an Assembly pageboy. His face was red, and he was out of breath.

“Letters for you, Tetranias,” the boy said. 

“Oh? Who from?” Sorano asked.

“I don’t know, Tetrania Sorano, but they appear to be urgent-”

The pageboy produced two red envelopes from his pack and disappeared, shutting the door behind him. 

Lesayana turned over her envelope in her hand, examining it. The red paper seemed a bit worn, and there was no return address. 

She opened the envelope carefully, and she and Sorano read the letters side-by-side. Lesayana couldn’t contain her astonishment as her eyes skimmed the page.

They traded letters. The office was pin-drop silent for another minute-

The two of them looked up at each other in the same time.

“I can’t believe it,” Sorano said in a hushed voice.

“Unbelievable,” Lesayana agreed.

“It’s…” Sorano rubbed her temples.

“A lot to take in, I agree,” said Lesayana. “We should at least share the news with the rest of the Assembly-”

“And my daughter and her family,” Sorano said, perking up. “We should hurry-"

They left the room together, and in their haste, the two letters fluttered to the floor, print easy to read to any passerby or trespasser who happened upon the room.

  
  


* * *

_ Lesayana, _

 

_ If you’ve received this letter, that means our plan worked. We found a way to make things cross dimensions! _

_ I should back up a little: I know you’re really confused.  _

_ Yuuri and I went through the portal, Mom. We made it through, and we didn’t die. We’re in the Realm. It’s… not at all like what the textbooks thought it would be like. _

_ I hope you get this letter, so you know that Yuuri and I are alright. Yuuri was shot in the leg (I think you saw) but he’s almost completely healed now. Oh, and I’m sure you want to know more about the Realm and where we’re living! _

_ Mom, it’s really, really similar to OUR world! _

_ The people are the same. Well, that’s not true… Everyone is an Earthen. Nobody has the Spark. And there’s Magic everywhere: in the air, in the ground, in the trees… if you ever ran low, all you’d have to do is meditate for a minute or so and you’d be back to full capacity. It’s incredible! _

_ In the Realm, segregation of Spark-carriers and Earthens never happened. The Widest Sweep never happened. There are hundreds of cultures, alive and well, all over the world! Well, some aren’t exactly thriving… Oh, and you know how we have just one landmass, the Continent! Here, there are SEVEN continents! _

_ Yuuri and I ended up in Japan, which is good, because Yuuri was able to understand enough Japanese to get us a translator. (It’s odd how two worlds can share the same languages; it’s improbable. I’ve been thinking about whether more than Magic travels through the portals… No way for us to know, of course, but the thought is interesting.) We found sanctuary within the government, who seems to know about the existence of our world. At least, they guessed about it, and they explained a lot about their research about what they called “weak points in the fabric of space.” _

_ (I’m not even sure how they know where to send our letters. We couldn’t give them exact coordinates, but we chose a place on the coastline close to where your headquarters are supposed to be, and figured someone would pick them up when they saw who they were addressed to. You can see why I’m hoping very hard that our letters will reach you at all!) _

_ Anyways. I wish I was able to spend more time with you before all this happened, because as of now, it doesn’t look like there’s any way for us to get home. Yuuri and I are staying in a government safehouse, doing some basic tests to help the government learn more about our Magic and things like that. Japan is beautiful; we’ve been allowed to walk around in a few cities, with bodyguards, and it’s nothing like I’ve ever seen. The technology here is advancing so rapidly… _

_ It’s so overwhelming, Mom. Russia is huge here, not far from Japan (which is an island, by the way), and there’s a place called America across the sea that seems a little closer to the Earthens than anywhere else. Their leader is called the President, and from what I’ve heard, he’s awful, though there are some other countries in Europe, which is also close(ish) to Russia, that aren’t doing too much better. _

_ I’m rambling, aren’t I? There’s so much I want to tell you, but we’ve been asked to keep our letters short, to minimize any chance of something-or-other making the space transfer go wrong. _

_ I love you, Mom. Will you tell Dad I’m sorry for me? _

_ Love, Viktor _

 

_ P.S. Your binding mark is wearing off. I’m not sure why. The visions haven’t been too bad, though, so I’m not worried. _

  
  
  


* * *

 

* * *

_ Dear Sorano, _

 

_ I’m so sorry things happened like this. Everything was insanity with that doctor, and if Viktor and I didn’t go through the portal, we would’ve died for sure. We took a chance, and it paid off.  _

_ I do wish I could’ve properly met you before the attack, though. _

_ Viktor’s writing all about the government in Japan and how they’re helping us out, so I won’t talk about that. We’re sharing an apartment, Viktor and I, near the main headquarters of the officials. (I’m fairly certain that we’re working with some kind of Japanese secret service; I’m not even sure if the main government knows about us.) We’re happy and we’re safe, so please don’t worry. _

_ If you do get this letter, could you please let my parents and sister know that we’re safe?  _

_ I’m not sure what else to say… _

_ There is one more thing. I know my saying this won’t change anything, and I honestly don’t want to say it at all, but I don’t think you should look for a way to bring us home. It’s risky, and if someone (say, another crazy Earthen group) found a way to get to the Realm, who knows what kind of space-time chaos that could create. Viktor and I were lucky to survive the trip here the first time; we might not be so lucky the next. And Adams said something about using your Magic to test my capacity to get through the portal alive. It’s complicated, and dangerous. _

_ What I’m trying to say is, don’t sacrifice others to “save” us. We’re alright. We’re safe. _

_ Thank you for saving our friends. You don’t need to save us. _

 

_ Love, Yuuri _

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more surprise, guys: one little sub-epilogue tomorrow. Then we're done, for good. 
> 
> Thank you for your support.


	40. After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where their story ends for us, it seems it is just beginning for them.

Every light in the room was turned off. The door to the balcony was halfway open, and chiffon curtains billowed in the breeze. Light rain was falling.

“Come to bed, Yuuri,” came a soft voice.

“Sorry, it’s just…” Yuuri put one hand against the glass. “It’s so beautiful. The colors, the light, I can’t stop looking at it all.”

Cold hands crept under the hem of Yuuri’s shirt and up his sides, and Yuuri muffled a shriek. He whirled around, biting his lip to keep from laughing.

“Your hands are freezing,” he said.

“Warm them up, then,” Viktor replied, leaning down to brush their lips together.

They stood, wrapped up in each other, for some intermediate span of time. 

Yuuri grinned before dropping the pickup line he’d been formulating all day. “Mm, you’re right… why look at the view out there, when  _ you’re _ in  _ here?”  _

“I’ve been out-flirted,” Viktor moaned as soon as he’d stopped giggling. “I’ll never recover.”

“Drama queen.”

“Ohh, so we’re name-calling now?” Viktor pressed Yuuri back against the glass, and Yuuri sucked in a breath when his leg hit the doorframe.

Viktor pulled back an inch or so. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty much healed now,” Yuuri said.

“Are you sure? We can st-”

“Uh,  _ no,” _ said Yuuri, pulling Viktor back down to his level.

A few more minutes passed.

“How is the mark?” Yuuri thought to ask. “It’s been a few days since-”

“It’s almost all gone, now,” Viktor said, lifting Yuuri’s hand to his forehead. Yuuri brushed back strands of silver hair to reveal the faintest outline of a spiral. 

“Do you feel okay-?”

“I  _ feel _ like I want to kiss you again,” said Viktor, and he did just that.

Yuuri was just starting to realize how drowsy he was when Viktor broke their embrace. He opened his mouth to complain, but cut himself off with a yelp as Viktor jerked the two of them backwards. They fell onto the couch, breathless.

“You’re right, Yuuri,” Viktor said, eyes shining a hundred different colors. “It’s beautiful.” His face was bathed in the flickering lights of the city. Yuuri recalled the night at the hot springs not long ago and was struck with a pang of sadness.

“I wish I’d had more time,” he said, staring at the view without quite seeing it. “I only got to be there with all of you for a couple months. Now…”

“Hey, hey,” Viktor said softly. He wrapped his arms around Yuuri, slotting their hands together. “It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world.”

Yuuri was silent, leaning into the hug.

“We might not be able to back, but…” Viktor squeezed his hands. “At least we have each other.”

“Yeah.”

A layer of quiet separated them.

“Yuuri, please talk to me,” Viktor said. “Are you… okay?”

There was something unspoken behind that tentative question:  _ do you regret it? _

Thinking back on everything that had happened since September — the fear, the adrenaline, the horror, the happiness; meeting Viktor, meeting his friends, and discovering something like a legacy he didn’t even know he had — Yuuri knew for certain that he didn’t.

He took a deep breath and looked up at Viktor. Magic sparked between their intertwined hands.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m okay.”

_ I’ll be okay as long as I’m with you. _

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 80,000+ words, over 12,500 views, 40 chapters... all in just under 9 months. It's been an incredible ride. Thank you all so much for riding right along beside me.
> 
> I'll probably be taking a break from posting new material on AO3 for a while, at least until I find a new story I want to start publishing. But I'll keep writing, and keep improving, and hopefully find a chunk of time to keep editing this story as well.
> 
> The full list of facts will be put up on the Excerpts companion once I've responded to the newest batch of comments. I've still got one or two more things that you might not have expected... :)
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading, and to all who've commented. The fact that I can share my words with people, let alone get feedback and be able to talk to those people, still feels unreal sometimes. Love you all!! 
> 
> Edit: Make sure to check out Holding the Spark - Excerpts for extra content and unrevealed info!! <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone is interested in making a fanart for this fic, you can drop me a line in the comments section, and if you want to post it on Deviantart/Tumblr/etc make sure you credit me. Other than that, go wild! :)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [An Analysis on Holding the Spark](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12784353) by [imapirahana98](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imapirahana98/pseuds/imapirahana98)




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